The One That Got Away
by njwriter62
Summary: Writer Bella Swan puts an unusual dedication in her new book - "To the one who got away, wherever you may be." What happens when a reader decides to find out who that person is? Will Bella find out that they were meant to be together all along? As always, everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
1. Chapter 1

The One That Got Away

"Alice, what were you thinking? How could you do that?" Bella Swan pulled her hair back over one shoulder and wedged the phone between her chin and shoulder. She was rummaging through her desk while talking on the phone, looking for the papers that came by overnight mail. The papers that sent her into a panic when she read them. She hoped the distraction of looking for them would keep her from completely losing it and letting her friend know just how upset she really was.

"Do what?" Alice's voice was a little too casual.

She pushed the laptop to the side and looked through another pile of papers. "You know what. I just got the final proofs. How could you put that dedication in my book?" Her office was small, cozy even, and the desk took up most of the room. It was her favorite room in the house, and probably where she spent most of her time, but there just weren't that many places where the papers could be.

Bella stood up straight, not finding the papers she was looking for, and sighed. "I was just joking when I wrote it. I didn't really mean for you to put it in."

Bella's neck was getting stiff from holding the phone, so she put it back in its cradle and hit the speakerphone button. It wasn't like anyone else was there to hear the conversation. "This is going to cause nothing but trouble. Nothing good is going to come from this." She could just picture Alice with her spiky dark hair, sitting in her New York office twirling a pen between her fingers while trying to calm her best friend, client, and favorite author.

"Look, Bella, it's your first romance novel. Forgive me for saying so but it will most likely get lost in the shuffle of all the other romance novels coming out this year, charming though it may be." Alice was nothing if not direct.

Bella glared at the phone and nearly growled at the little pixie. "You're my agent. Aren't you supposed to tell me that my book is wonderful and amazing and that it'll sell a million copies?"

"No, I'm your agent so I'm supposed to tell you the truth." Alice knew that Bella was nervous about this book. "Don't worry; the book is going to sell. It's got just the right balance of sappy romance and passion."

Bella rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me." Bella didn't even stop to wonder how Alice knew she'd done that. There wasn't much Alice didn't know about her.

"That dedication is the perfect touch, Bella, and you know it. It stays in."

Bella snorted and Alice laughed in reply.

"Alice, no one is going to pay any attention to the dedication. I'll be happy if they just buy the damn book." Bella knew she was a good writer. After all, this wasn't her first book. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe she'd gone a bit too far trying something so different from her usual mysteries. "I should never have let you put it in the book. Exactly how many glasses of wine did it take for you to get me to agree?"

Alice laughed. "Four, but that's beside the point. The dedication is pure romance, Bella. It adds that certain 'je ne sais quoi.' I mean, just listen to it."

Bella could picture Alice picking up the book and turning to the dedication page. She listened as her friend took a dramatic deep breath and read the words she already regretted using. "To the one that got away, wherever you may be." Alice sighed. "It makes even cynical me want to track down my first true love."

Bella had to laugh. "Alice, you're married to your first true love. I was there when you met Jasper, remember?"

Alice couldn't deny it. She and Bella had been friends since kindergarten. Bella had been standing beside her the first day of high school when Alice first spotted Jasper and declared that he was the one for her. "Well, yes, that's true."

Bella stopped laughing, and turned serious. "Alice, I hope you're right about this."

Alice paused, and then answered quietly. "Bella, think about it. Every woman has one…the one man they loved but didn't stay with. The one they've never gotten over."

"Every woman but you" Bella snipped, but she understood what Alice was saying.

"And besides Bella dearest, when have you ever known me to be wrong?" Bella sighed and said goodbye. She knew better than to bet against Alice.

Bella walked back to her desk, and immediately saw the papers she'd been looking for before. She picked them up, and thumbed through the pages of her newest book. She turned to the dedication page and felt just the slightest pull deep inside her, as if her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She looked from the page to her desk, where a small photograph in a silver frame still sat after all these years. A picture of a young woman with long brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, being held in a tight embrace by a bronze haired man. They smiled as they looked into each other's eyes.

"This is for you, Edward Cullen…the one that got away."


	2. Chapter 2

The One That Got Away

**A/N – Everything Twilight belongs to SM, not to me. Thank you to all of you who added this story to your favorites or alerts!**

**-TOTGA-**

It was too damn early in the morning for the phone to be ringing. Bella was only half awake, so she put her pillow over her head, hoping it would block out the annoyingly loud noise. She was forever missing calls, daydreaming or getting wrapped up in a chapter she was writing and not hearing the phone, so she'd finally changed it to the loudest, most obnoxious ring tone she could find. When it stopped ringing she did a little fist pump and rolled over to go back to sleep – until it started ringing again two seconds later.

Giving up, she pushed aside the pillow, and reached over to grab the phone from her night table. Sunlight was peeking around the sides of her window shades. She squinted at the caller ID and groaned when she saw her best friend/agent's name. She braced herself and put the phone to her ear.

Alice, do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Do you have your television on?"

"Are you kidding? No, its 8 in the morning and we were drinking champagne till midnight. I'm asleep." Alice had flown in the day before to celebrate the publication of Bella's romance novel, and the two friends had gone through a lot of champagne. Bella's head wasn't exactly spinning, but it didn't feel great either. Alice, on the other hand, sounded as though she'd been awake for hours and was overdosed on caffeine.

"Turn it on now - Channel 6."

"Why…"

"Don't talk, just do it. Hurry hurry hurry!"

Bella sat up, grabbed the remote and pushed the power button, but nothing happened. She shook the remote, and then groaned when she realized that she was pointing the wrong end toward the TV. Turning it around, she pushed the button again and watched as the set lit up with a popular morning show.

"Can you see it?" Alice was practically squealing. Bella focused on the screen and her eyes went wide in amazement. The show's host was holding up a book - her book. Her new book!

"Oh my God" she yelped "it's my book. On Good Morning America!"

"I know, I know" said Alice "but listen to what they are saying."

The host pointed to the book. _"This new romance novel by Barbara Smith, a relatively unknown author, was released yesterday._

Bella snorted. "Unknown author, my foot. Hello! It's an alias. A pen name."

"Listen!" Alice scolded.

"_After just one day on the shelves, this book is already causing a huge stir in bookstores across the country. The book is charming…"_

"Told you so." Alice couldn't resist.

"Shut up."

"_But the fuss is not the result of its charm, or the plot or the characters or even the considerable amount of steamy sex. It's the dedication that's causing women everywhere to pick up this book."_ Bella watched in horror as the host flipped to the dedication page and turned the book around to face the camera.

"_The book is dedicated to 'the one that got away'. And doesn't every woman have one of them?"_

Bella dropped the remote and put both hands over her mouth. "Oh crap!"

The host continued. _"We were unable to contact the author through her publisher, but we were able to reach her agent."_

"Oh my God, Alice, what did you say to them?"

"Nothing much."

"When did you talk to them and why didn't you ask me first?"

"I'm your agent for a reason, Bella. I knew exactly what you'd want me to say."

"_According to her agent, the author is somewhat shy and prefers not to make public appearances."_

Bella heard Alice's voice coming from the television._ "She much prefers letting the book speak for itself." _

The host followed up. "_What about the dedication? Here's what her agent had to say about that."_

Alice's voice, playful and teasing, came through the TV_. "The dedication? Well, it's quite romantic, isn't it? But that's all I can say. The author considers that…personal."_

Bella groaned as the segment ended. "Ugh, why did you say that? And why did you not warn me that anyone would pick up on this?"

"You are acting like this is a bad thing, Bella. It's the best possible sort of publicity you can get. You've created a mystery within a romance!"

"And how long is it going to be before someone figures out that I'm the author? That I wrote this sappy book with the off the wall dedication?"

"It's not sappy, it's charming, remember? To answer your question, it's not likely at all that people will figure out that you wrote it. The writing style is similar to what your fans are used to seeing, but different enough that no one should put it together, and we've no official records online that can be traced to you." Alice paused. "I have to go meet Jasper for breakfast. Go back to sleep, and enjoy the publicity."

Alice had a point. Besides the two of them, only their other best friend Rosalie knew that new romance author "Barbara Smith" was really the very well-known best-selling mystery writer Bella Swan. She just wanted to try writing something different for a change, but she was afraid people wouldn't like it because it wasn't what they were used to seeing from her. And it might have been OK, except for the damn dedication.

"Alice, I just wanted to see if I could write this. I want the publicity to be for the book, not for the dedication page."

"But dear, listen to me. Without him there would be no book, would there? It was the only thing to do."

Alice was right. There would be no book without him. It was their story, after all, only with a happier ending than the one they had in real life. It was the ending she wished they'd gotten.

In the 7 years since she last saw Edward, not a day had gone by that she hadn't started and ended her day thinking of him.


	3. Chapter 3

The One That Got Away

**A/N – Everything Twilight belongs to the wonderful Ms. Meyer, not to me. Thank you to all of you who added this story to your favorites or alerts! Reviews?**

**-TOTGA-**

She was walking along a beach, one she didn't recognize, but the sky was a greyish blue that almost matched the color of the water. In the distance she could see a man and a dog walking toward her. The man bent down to pick up a stick from the beach, and she could see his wavy, reddish hair. He threw the stick toward her, and the dog came running to retrieve it. Suddenly they were very close to her, and her heart jolted as she recognized his crooked smile. He walked right up to her, grabbed her around the waist and kissed her passionately, breaking away only to murmur "at last" in her ear. His arms were so comfortable, so familiar, and so were his lips….

Bella sat bolt upright in bed. She must have fallen back asleep after getting off the phone with Alice. Other people might panic, but Bella's reaction to stress was to fall asleep – if she didn't just pass out. She shook her head to chase the remnants of the dream away. Thinking about him was one thing, but such a vivid dream? No way she needed to think about that.

Bella knew there was no way anyone would identify her as the author of "the book" but even so, she refused to leave her apartment for the rest of the day. Instead, she decided that she would busy herself with work. Writing always eased her mind. Yes, that's what she would do. And no more damn romances for her. She'd start the next book in her regular series of mysteries. Her familiar lead characters would make the perfect companions for the rest of the day. Bella rolled out of bed and pulled on her favorite writing outfit – a pair of dark jeans and a long sleeve tee shirt, and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. After brushing her teeth, she made a cup of coffee and carried it into her little office. Almost as an afterthought, she turned off the ringer on her phone. No more calls from Alice today!

She sat at her computer, opened a new document in Word and got ready to start her next book. Twenty minutes later, she realized that she hadn't typed even one word.

"OK, you are going to do this. There is no such thing as writer's block. You know these characters inside and out, you just need to listen to them telling you their story."

She typed the first sentence, then a second, then a paragraph. She sat back and looked at the screen.

"This is crap!" She blew out a frustrated breath and deleted what she'd written. Two hours later, she'd finished the first cup of coffee and a second, and a third. This was ridiculous. She still had a blank page, and she was so jumpy from the caffeine she couldn't sit still.

Quietly cursing Alice and her advice, Bella put on a pair of sunglasses, a scarf, and her favorite jean jacket and walked the two blocks from her apartment to the nearest Barnes and Noble. She loved bookstores – usually the smaller the better. But she was afraid that the owner of her favorite neighborhood bookstore would wonder why Bella was so curious about the new little romance, so she went for the big bookstore where no one was likely to recognize her. Opening the door, she inhaled deeply, loving the smell of the books and the goodies in the bakery all mixed together. Leaving her sunglasses in place, just in case, she headed into the store. She expected to find her book in the romance section. Normally her books would be in a place of honor - after all, Alice was nothing if not efficient and powerful and she was the master of marketing. But this was a "Barbara Smith" book, not a "Bella Swan" book.

Bella froze when she saw the now familiar cover featured in the front of the store. The front display table! Her mouth dropped open as a gaggle of women crowded around it, plucking books off the table like they would disappear in the next five minutes.

A heavy set woman grabbed one and handed it to her friend before taking one for herself. "Leah, here it is!"

Her friend responded, just as loud. "Oh, Emily, I can't wait to read it. With a dedication like this, she must have an amazing story to tell."

Leah elbowed the other woman. "And a sexy story too! Do you think the story is about them? The author and her lost love?" Somebody else chimed in. "It must be – why else would she dedicate it to him?"

Bella flushed a deep red, turned on her heel and ran out of the store. This was crazy! Slamming the apartment door behind her, she sat down at the computer. She decided to check her email, thinking Alice might have sent her something since she obviously wasn't answering her phone. Sure enough, there was an email from Alice. The subject line said "BELLA – READ THIS!" Subtle, Bella thought.

_Bella,_

_I know you are upset right now, but you have to read this email that came in this morning. After you read it, call me and we'll talk about what to do next. Maybe I underestimated all this. Sorry!_

_Hopefully still your best friend (and hopefully still your agent)_

_Alice_

Bella groaned. This could not be good. Alice wasn't afraid of anything or anybody, so if the pixie was worried, Bella knew she was in trouble. She scrolled down and started to read.

_Dear Ms. Swan (can I call you Bella?)_

_I'm sending this to your agent because it's the only way I can think of to get in touch with you. Do you think maybe you should be on Facebook or something? Anyway, sorry, my name is Bree Tanner and I am one of your biggest fans. I'm an English major and I have to admit that while I love your mysteries (the bad guy in your last book, James, was so hot!) romances are my passion. I got your book yesterday and stayed up all night reading it. I know you must be the author, I mean, it's your writing style. Maybe I'm wrong and you can just tell me that, but I don't think so. And I have to know, about the dedication._

Bella banged her head on the desk a few times before continuing. This was not happening. She wanted to just delete the email, but she couldn't. It was like watching a car accident – she had to know what would happen.

_It was such a beautiful story, and such a happy ending, but that's what confused me. If there was really a happy ending, why would you dedicate it to the one that got away? Wouldn't you dedicate it to, I don't know, your husband or boyfriend or something? I hope you'll answer this, but if you don't I just wanted you to know that you have a real fan club here and we're going to find out what happened to your lost love for you!_

Bella looked at Edward's picture, gasped, and slammed the laptop closed before passing out.


	4. Chapter 4

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 4**

**Everything Twilight belongs to Ms. Meyer. Thank you to everyone who added this to their alerts and favorites. And thank you for the reviews! I appreciate everything you have to say!**

** T**

Edward Cullen heard his phone ring from across the room, but he didn't make any move to pick it up. His hands were full, in a very good way, and he was staring lovingly into a pair of beautiful brown eyes. He'd always had a thing for brown eyes…chocolate brown eyes in particular.

He murmured gently "You know you're my best girl, right?" The beagle puppy he was holding licked his face enthusiastically in response. "That's my girl…what a love you are." He heard the office answering machine pick up the call, and a familiar voice filled the room.

"Hey, Edward…you there? Pick up the phone. You owe me one, and paybacks are a b…." Before Emmett could finish the word, Edward grabbed the phone, still holding on to the wriggling puppy. "Emmett, hold on a second! I'm with a client – let me put you on hold." Normally he wouldn't have picked up the phone at all when he was working, but he didn't want the puppy's 10 year old owner exposed to Emmett's colorful language. He set the phone back down, juggling the puppy in his arms, and turned back to the little girl and her mom.

"Ok, Angela, your puppy did a great job with her first set of shots. Go out and see Mrs. Cope, and she'll make an appointment for you to bring Pumpkin back in for the second round."

She frowned at him. "Dr. Edward, does she really have to get more shots? I hate shots so I know Pumpkin does too."

Edward bent down so he was face to face with the girl. "Angela, you love Pumpkin very much, right?" The girl nodded. "Well, the shots will help keep her healthy and safe, so they are really important." He handed the puppy back to her.

"Ok, if you say so."

"I do. I'll see you soon."

Angela's mother flashed him a flirty smile as they left the room, and Edward just shook his head. He walked back to the counter where he'd dropped the phone, and washed his hands before picking it up again.

"OK Emmett, what's up?"

"Took you long enough Edward. What kind of client were you with?"

Edward had to laugh. He could just picture his brother wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "It was a 2 month old beagle puppy, Em."

"Yeah, but what did her owner look like?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter. Her owner is a 10 year old girl." Edward sighed. "Now what is it you called about? And what time is it there?" He looked at the clock on the wall and realized it was after 4 already. Almost time to finish up for the day.

"It's 9:30. For a doctor, you aren't very good at figuring out time differences."

"I'm a vet. I don't need to figure out time differences. If you still lived on the east coast like the rest of us, we would have to worry about it." He loved his older brother, but still couldn't figure out what possessed Emmett to move to Ireland, even if it was only for a couple of years.

"Look, Ed, I need you to do me a favor. I've got a chance to go on this great trip with some friends of mine. It's like a combined tour around England and Scotland and a research project. We're going to be checking out a bunch of veterinary hospitals to see what we want to include in the new clinic here."

Edward knew exactly what Emmett was going to ask. "No, Emmett, I can't come over there right now."

"C'mon Edward…you know this is a one vet practice. I can't just close it. I need someone to handle at least the emergency cases while I'm gone. It's just a month."

"A month? Are you kidding?" Edward mentally reviewed his schedule for the next month.

"You know you can let a couple of the vet students cover for you. And that new doctor…what's his name…Stan?"

"It's Sam." There was no point in fighting it. Edward knew how this would end up. He did owe Emmett, for lots of things. "OK, when do you need me?"

"As soon as possible. We leave next Tuesday, and it would be great if you could get here a couple of days early so I can show you around, you know, introduce you to folks and go over the schedule."

"Fine Em, I'll clear my schedule here and make my travel arrangements. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know when I can get there."

"You're the best little brother in the world, you know that, right?" Edward could just picture Emmett's goofy grin.

"Yeah, I know. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He hung up the phone. Ireland, huh? He was curious about Emmett's work there. And if truth be told, he really needed a break. Maybe this could be both, all rolled into one. He ran his fingers through his bronze hair, and walked out of the exam room to break the news to Mrs. Cope.

** T**

"Bella, calm down. You're hyperventilating." Alice sat on the side of the bed, holding onto Bella's hands. "Look me in the eyes, and just breathe."

"Calm down? Alice, first this kid figures out that I'm the author of the book, which you promised me would not happen, and then she announces she's going to find 'my lost love' for me."

Alice rubbed her friend's back. After she sent Bella the email from Bree Tanner, she called her friend to see if she was OK. When she didn't get an answer, she came back over to Bella's apartment and let herself in, only to find Bella on the verge of a panic attack.

"What if she really does this? What if she finds out who he is?"

"Bella, there is no way she could find out anything about him."

Bella squinted her brown eyes at Alice. "Yeah, this is coming from the same person who assured me no one would know I wrote the damn book. And who then assured me that no one would pay any attention to the dedication." She pointed her finger at Alice menacingly. "Are you trying to go for three out of three here?"

"There is a big difference between recognizing your writing style and figuring out who you were in love with 10 years ago."

Despite her determination not to let this get to her, Bella felt her heart break just a little bit more when she thought about Edward. Even she didn't know where he was. In all the years since she's last seen him, she'd refused to let herself look for him. She wouldn't Google him, or try to find him on Facebook. She'd cut herself off from anyone who might be in contact with him. It was less painful that way.

"Bella, are you listening to me?" Alice tried to get her to focus. "We have a couple of choices. I can contact her, deny you're the author, and leave it at that. Or I could admit that you're the author, but tell her the dedication was just a joke." Alice smiled. "Or I could tell her that the dedication was something special, and let her do a little research…."

"NO! No Alice. I don't want to know where he is."

"Bella" her friend responded softly. "You keep his picture on your desk. You've refused to get involved with anyone else. You rarely date and never go out with the same guy more than once. You're still in love with him, aren't you?"

Bella felt the tears run down her face. "Alice, if he's married…I just…I can't…"

"Oh honey, it'll be OK." Alice placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Let's go with plan number 2 – she's a fan, and she clearly knows you wrote it. We'll just put her off this whole romantic adventure thing. OK?"

Bella nodded her head, and wiped her eyes. "OK." But all she could see when she closed her eyes were his beautiful green eyes, the same ones she saw in her dreams every night.


	5. Chapter 5

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 5**

**Everything Twilight belongs to Ms. Meyer. Still. **

**A little history and a little angst. **

**Thank you to everyone who added this to their alerts and favorites. And thank you for the reviews! It's so great to hear from you!**

** A**

Bella's hands were on the keyboard, but her mind was somewhere completely different. She was supposed to be writing the next chapter of her new mystery, but instead she slipped back 10 years ago, to a day she would forever regret. She was waiting for Edward – beautiful, wonderful Edward, the love of her young life – to arrive at her house. Last night was the senior prom, and it was everything she dreamed it would be. Her dress (picked out by Alice, of course) made her feel like a princess, and Edward was the perfect handsome prince in his tux. He smiled his crooked grin as he slid the beautiful corsage over her wrist, and then wrapped his arms around her as Charlie took dozens of pictures. They danced every dance together, and she soon stopped worrying about falling in the heels Alice insisted she wear. He kissed her as they danced, first tenderly, just brushing his lips across hers. Then more passionately, both of them unable to resist the pull they'd felt for each other since they met junior year. His hands slid up and down her arms, and she shivered.

"Cold?" he said.

She just shook her head no, unable to put what she was feeling into words. She loved him beyond words, unable to believe sometimes that this beautiful boy had chosen her. She was sure she didn't deserve him.

This morning they were going to La Push beach with Alice and her prom date, Eric Yorkie, Jessica and Mike, and Angela and Ben. Half the senior class would be there.

"Hello, my beautiful girl" he said, kissing her quickly before Charlie walked out the door to see them off. Even though they'd been dating for over a year, Charlie still frowned whenever he saw any PDA. Bella chuckled to herself. What was Charlie going to think about them going to the University of Washington together next year? She blushed when see thought about all the time they'd have together, and what that could mean for their relationship. She took Edward's hand as he led her to the car and opened the door. He was always such a gentleman.

A few hours later, she sat on the sand next to Alice as they watched the boys play touch football on the beach. Mike broke away from the group, jogged over to where they were sitting, and sat down next to Bella after grabbing a water bottle out of the cooler.

"Hey, Bella, you looked awesome last night. Oh, you too Alice."

It was no secret that Mike had a huge crush on Bella, even though he and Jess had been dating for awhile.

He bumped her with his elbow. "So what are you going to do when you and Cullen are so far apart next year?"

Bella gave him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about? Edward and I are going to school together next year, at UW."

"Yeah" said Alice "They'll be SO close next year." Bella slapped her, but giggled at the same time.

"That's not what I heard" said Mike. "Didn't he tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"He got into the University of Pennsylvania pre-vet program. It's the best school in the country for veterinary science. There's no way he won't go." Mike smirked, realizing he told Bella before Edward did.

Bella and Alice both gasped. "Penn? That's his dream school" said Bella. "Why wouldn't he tell me?"

"I don't know" said Alice. "He should know you'd be happy for him."

Mike laughed. "That's easy to figure out. He didn't tell you, right?" He watched as Bella nodded, still in shock at the news. "He figures he'll get what he can out of you this summer, then tell you right before he leaves." Ignoring her shocked expression, he continued. "That's what I'd do, anyway."

"That's because you're a pig, Mike Newton!" Alice smacked him and pushed him away. "Get away from us." He got up and walked away, completely unaware of the devastation he'd created.

"Bella, you know Edward's not like that." Alice rubbed her friend's back.

"I know. But why wouldn't he tell me?"

"I guess you'll have to ask him." Just then the game broke up, and Edward came running toward them. "Maybe you should just ask him now."

"Bella, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Edward tipped her chin up to look into her eyes.

"Nothing" she said. "Just that idiot Mike Newton saying stupid stuff."

"OK, if that's all it is." Edward kissed her forehead. "Don't let him bother you."

Bella nodded her head. She stayed seated in the sand while everyone else ran over to start the bonfire so they could cook hotdogs. She patted the sand next to her, and Edward sat down. He nuzzled her ear, but she pushed him back.

"Edward, I have to ask you something."

"Anything Bella, you know that."

"Did you get accepted to Penn? To their pre-vet program?"

He was going to deny it, but he could tell by her face that she already knew. "Who told you that?"

"That's not important. Did you? Were you going to tell me?"

"I just found out yesterday." He looked down at the sand. "And to be honest, no, I wasn't going to tell you. Emmett said something about it when we were playing football, and I guess Newton heard him."

Bella was confused. "Why weren't you going to tell me? I thought we could tell each other anything?"

Edward turned so he was facing her, and took both her hands in his. "I wasn't going to tell you because it's not a big deal. I'm not going. I'm going with you, to UW."

She didn't know what to think. "But it's your dream – you always wanted to go there. It's the best school…"

"It doesn't matter, Bella. I just wanted to see if I could get in." He smiled. "Now I know, and that's enough." He pulled her up from her sitting position, and wrapped his arms around her. Trying to distract her, he slid his hands down to her bum and wiggled his eyebrows at her. "OK?"

"Sure" she responded. "Let's go eat." But her stomach was twisting and she doubted she'd be able to keep anything down.

A few hours later, Bella figured out what she was going to do. She knew he was only going to UW to be close to her, when Penn would be – well it would be perfect for him. She knew he was brilliant, and this would give him the best possible opportunity to become a vet and do the kind of research he'd always dreamed of doing.

"OK, missy, what are you thinking of doing?" Alice could read her like a book.

"Nothing. I'm not going to do anything."

"Yes you are, and I'm betting it involves Edward and college." Alice grabbed her hand. "Don't do anything stupid, Bella. You know that boy loves you and you love him. People do long distance relationships every day."

"That's not it, Alice. You know he won't go – he told me as much. I need to find a way to make him take advantage of this opportunity. I have to go to UW – it's the only place I can afford it because of the scholarship. But he can do so much more."

Just then Edward walked up to them and held out his hand to Bella. "Take a walk with me?" She nodded and said goodbye to Alice, flashing her a sad smile. Alice felt powerless to stop what she knew was coming.

They walked along the beach till they came to a little cove beside a sand dune. He sat in the sand and pulled her down to his lap, wrapping his arms around her. He began a series of slow kisses along her neck. When he reached her shoulder, he gently shifted around, laying her down in the sand. Although it was dark, the moon was full and she could see the sparkling emerald green of his eyes as he stretched out next to her. With the next series of kisses, he began to move over her, and she loved the feel of his weight gently pushing her into the sand. They'd been testing their boundaries a little more over the last few weeks and she thought that soon…maybe…

But this was it. She knew she had to put her plan into place now. Even if it killed her, she had to do what was best for him. So instead of returning his kisses, she gently pushed his shoulders.

"Edward, stop."

He took a deep breath, and rolled onto his back next to her. "I'm sorry, Bella, I thought…"

"Edward, I think we need to take a break. "

"Ok, you know I would never push you to do anything you didn't want to do."

"No, Edward. I mean…I think we should see other people."

He couldn't have been more shocked if she'd slapped him. Where did this come from?

"Bella, I don't want to see anyone but you. I love you. I can't wait for us to be together next year, to really be together. Isn't that what you want?"

It took everything she had not to cry. "I'm not sure what I want, Edward. I need some time to think. To be on my own to think."

Things just got worse from there. He went from pleading with her to yelling, not understanding what she was doing or why. She couldn't tell him, stubbornly focused on making him realize what he needed to do. He took her home, promising to call the next day.

Bella refused to take his calls, refused to talk to him. She cut off all contact with him, despite his continued pleading in messages, texts, emails, phone messages, and through friends. When she couldn't stand it anymore, she begged Charlie to let her spend the summer in Florida, with Renee, using the excuse that she wouldn't be able to spend much time visiting her once college started. Charlie didn't understand what happened with Edward, but Bella wouldn't talk to him about it. Reluctantly, he bought her a plane ticket.

By the end of the summer, Bella and her broken heart returned from Florida, and learned that Edward, his heart broken as well, had already left to start freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania, completely across the country.


	6. Chapter 6

The One That Got Away

Chapter 6

**Everything Twilight belongs to the amazing Ms. Meyer. **

**Thanks again for all the alerts and especially to the people who sent reviews. It really helps! **

**On with the story!**

**TOTGA**

If there was one thing Bree Tanner knew, it was how to do research. As an English lit major, she knew the library inside and out. Though the fiction section was her favorite, she could find anything, and she was as good at finding information on the Internet as she was at finding it in person. But despite her talents, she knew that sometimes you just needed a little help.

The email she'd gotten from Bella Swan's agent was very sweet. Yes, it said, Bella really was the author, but she would really appreciate it if Bree would not share that information. It seemed Bella was experimenting with a different type of writing and wanted to see if people liked the book for itself, not because she was the author. Bree could understand that. She liked experimenting with writing too. Right now she had 4 different fan fiction stories going (all based on Bella Swan's mysteries) plus some poetry, plus a novel. But Ms. Hale, the agent, didn't say anything about the mysterious dedication. Well, Bree thought, she didn't say NOT to check it out, did she?

"OK, here's the plan" she said, turning around with her laptop in her hand. Across the room on the other bed sat three other girls, each with a laptop of their own. They were roommates as well as sorority sisters, and they loved romance novels almost as much as Bree did. "Claire, look up Bella Swan's biography and find out where she went to college and where she grew up."

"Here it is – she grew up in Forks, Washington, and she went to college at the University of Washington." Claire smiled. "Now what?"

"Kim, look up all the high schools in Forks, including private schools. Rachel, see if there is anything about Ms. Swan on the UW website." Both girls quickly got to work. "Claire, what years did she go to UW?"

While the three girls worked on that, Bree thought some more. Who could the mysterious guy be? Was it someone from high school, or from college? That would at least give them somewhere to look. If it was someone from where she lived now, that would make things a whole lot harder.

Kim spoke up first. "Bree, there's just one high school in Forks. It's Forks High School." The other girls all laughed and shouted "Duh!" in chorus. "There's also a school on a reservation right outside Forks, but she's not Native American, right?"

"Nope" said Bree. "We'll focus on Forks High School. What's the word on UW?"

Rachel sat up and pushed her glasses up on her nose. "There's a thing about how she's a famous alumna since she published her books, but it doesn't say anything about her personal life. No boyfriend or husband or anything."

"What year did she graduate?"

"Umm…here it is. She graduated in 2006."

"OK." Bree thought for a minute. "That means she graduated from Forks High in 2002." She smiled as the plan began to take shape in her head. "I've got it!"

-TOTGA—

Alice was pretty pleased with the response she'd sent to the little college girl who figured out Bella was the author. The kid was pretty perceptive to figure it out from Bella's writing style. Maybe Alice should keep in touch with her, see if she wanted an internship. Someone with an eye for detail and an ear for writing style could be a real asset in the publishing business. But for now, she hoped the answer was enough to satisfy the girl. Although, if she was being honest with herself, she almost hoped the girl would follow her curiosity. Alice didn't dare try to find out where Edward was and what he was doing, but if someone else happened to figure it out, well, that wouldn't be her fault, would it?

Alice's smirk faded as her phone rang. She didn't even need to look at the caller ID. "Hello, Bella, how are you, honey? What do you need?" She cringed when she heard the frustration in her friend's voice.

"Alice, I can't write, I can't think. I mean, I'm really excited the book is doing so well…"

"Bella, you're on the best seller list. You're doing amazing, not just well!"

"I know, and I'm really grateful for everything you've done to promote it. Especially since it looks like you're repping some unknown author. Barbara Smith."

Alice couldn't hold back a giggle. "Bella, you're thinking about it all wrong! It looks like I'm a brilliant agent who found another best selling author. Which, of course, I am. Brilliant, I mean."

Bella laughed for the first time in days. "Yes Alice, I have to admit, you are brilliant." They shared a good laugh, and then Bella sighed.

"Alice, I need…I don't know what I need. I've got to write, but nothing's working."

Alice knew Bella better than anyone, and she knew that the only way to get her writing again was to distract her – give her something else to think about that would stop the endless "why did I dedicate the book to him" loop that was playing in her head.

"What about a change of scenery? Maybe that would help you relax?"

Surprisingly, Bella didn't argue. "Actually, that sounds really great. But I don't feel like I can concentrate long enough to plan anything. Oh please, great and wonderful agent of mine, give me some ideas?"

Alice thought for a minute, and her face lit up as she thought of the perfect solution. "I have just the thing. You know Jasper's cousin, Liam? The one from Ireland? He's coming to stay with us for a few weeks – some business deal he has going with Jasper. What if you stayed at his place while he's here?"

Bella normally hated to fly, but she felt an unexplainable surge of excitement. "Oh wow! Ireland sounds wonderful. I've always wanted to go there. But I can't just impose on a total stranger."

Alice was thrilled to hear the excitement in Bella's voice. "Let me talk to Jasper. I'm sure he can work something out. We stayed there last summer, and it's just what you need. Beautiful location, isolated, peaceful – you'll be writing away before you know it."

Bella sighed deeply and relaxed for the first time in days. "That would be great." She shook her head. "I don't know why I've let this get to me so much, Ali."

Alice smiled at the pet name. "It's OK, Bells. You take it easy, and you'll be back in business before you know what hit you."

"Oh, I know what hit me" Bella sighed. "That's the problem. It's the same thing that's been the problem for the last ten years."

-TOTGA—

"OK girls, here's the deal. You each have a list of all the Alpha Delta Epsilon sorority chapters at colleges across the country. There are 33 of them, not counting us." Bree paced back and forth in front of her three helpers. "Claire, you take the first eleven, Kim, you take the middle, and Rachel, you take the last eleven."

"Got it, Bree. What do we tell them?" Claire was nearly bouncing in her seat.

"Send an email to the president of each chapter and tell them that we're looking for any sorority sisters who went to Forks High School or who know someone who went there. Tell them it's for a research project – but don't tell them why." She looked at them with a serious expression. " We need to respect Ms. Swan's privacy."

Kim looked at her in awe. "Bree, you're brilliant!"

But Rachel looked confused. "Why are we just looking at Forks High? What if her lost love was someone from college? Shouldn't we also be asking about knowing anyone at the University of Washington?"

Bree shook her head. "Oh Rachel, have I taught you nothing? You read the book, right?" All three heads nodded. "Where do the characters in the book fall in love?"

"At Franklin High School!" Claire shouted. "You think that means he's her high school sweetheart!"

"Yup" said Bree. "It's definitely the best lead we've got. Now let's put the power of sorority sisterhood to the test! With a little luck, we'll have a contact in Forks, Washington by tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

The One That Got Away

Chapter 7

**Everything Twilight belongs to the amazing Stephenie Meyer. **

**Thanks again for all the alerts and favorites, and special thanks to all the people who sent reviews – you are all amazing. It's great that you are enjoying the story! **

**Before we see how Bree's "research project" is going, let's check in on Edward. **

Edward climbed out of the car and ran his hand through his already messy bronze hair as he straightened up to his full 6 foot 2 and looked at his new surroundings. He was very grateful that Emmett sent a car service to pick him up at the airport after the long flight. He rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows and thanked the driver.

It took him a little longer than he thought it would to arrange everything so he could get to Ireland before Emmett was scheduled to leave on his trip. Edward's clinic was very important to him, and each "patient" was very important to him, from the puppy that needed shots – he smiled as he thought about little Angela and Pumpkin - to the most complex surgical case. He finally managed to get three of his best veterinary students to cover the clinic while he was gone, and made them promise to keep him up to date on his favorite patients by email. Fortunately, he had no big cases to deal with right now, and the truth was that he really needed a break. As much as he loved his work, his clinic, his students, and his patients, it could get quite….lonely. A quick image of chestnut hair and brown eyes filled his head, and just as quickly he pushed it away.

By the time he'd gotten everything set, he had just enough time to throw some clothes into a suitcase before racing to the airport. Emmett warned him that things were very informal in his adopted town, and no one would expect to see him in his doctor's white coat. In fact, since the patients were just as likely to be cows and goats as cats and dogs, blue jeans and some sturdy work boots would be the best choice.

Edward looked around at the little town. Since leaving the airport, he'd watched as town after town rolled past, each more beautiful than the one before. The road followed the twists and turns of a wide and gentle river, then wrapped around the ruins of an ancient church before dividing into two streets. The street to the left had a small grocery store, a gas station, and a few shops. The street to the right had two pubs, one on each side, sandwiched in among a dozen or so townhouses.

He green eyes lit with amusement at the sign on the storefront window: "Veterinary Clinic, E. Cullen, DVM." He didn't see the appreciative glances he was getting from the teenage girls across the street, but turned around to look when he heard their giggles. The next thing he knew, a pair of strong arms grabbed him from behind and lifted him off his feet.

"Hey, little brother! You made it."

"Em, can't breathe…put me down."

Emmett set Edward back down, spun him around, and grabbed him by both shoulders. The brothers had matching grins. "I can't even tell you how glad I am to see you. "

"Yeah, it's been too long. Mom wants to know if you're coming home for a visit – or to stay – anytime soon."

"I don't know, Ed. I really like it here. The people are great, there's a whole lot less bullshit to put up with, and look around. It's beautiful here." Emmett grabbed the suitcase. "Come on in, I'll give you a quick tour of the clinic and I'll show you your room before we hit the pub for supper."

Emmett opened the door, and Edward followed him in. He instantly felt at home amidst the distinctive smells and noises of the clinic. He heard barking coming from another room, and a beautiful girl with long red hair walked out holding a small dog with a set of stitches visible on its shaved hind leg.

"Oh, Dr. Cullen, would you take a quick look at this little one? Mrs. Hartman wants to come and take him home if she can."

"Sure" Emmett said, quickly noting the way the girl's eyes widened when she saw Edward. "Tanya, this is my little brother Edward. He'll be taking care of the practice while I'm away. Edward, this is Tanya. She helps out around the clinic, scheduling appointments and stuff and sometimes, if I'm really good, she'll even bring me dinner."

Tanya smiled at Edward. "Sorry I can't shake your hand, but I'm glad to know you."

Edward returned the smile. "It's nice to meet you too." He followed Emmett back through the clinic and narrowed his eyes at his brother's stupid grin. "Don't even start, Emmett. I'm here to help you out, and that's it."

-TOTGA—

"Oh my God, Bree, you are brilliant!" Claire whooped from her seat at Bree's desk. "We've got somebody!"

Bree did a little fist pump. She knew it would work! After contacting all 33 Alpha Delta Epsilon sorority chapters, they had, just as she predicted, found a sorority sister at the University of Nebraska, who had a cousin who went to Forks High School and graduated in 2004, two years after the soon to be famous Isabella Swan. "Ok, do we have the email address for the cousin?"

"Yup, here it is. Her name is Rebecca. " Claire slid out of the desk chair and sat on the bed after giving a high five to Kim and Rachel.

"Ok" Bree said. "Here's what we're going to say." She said the words out loud as she typed.

_Dear Rebecca,_

_Hi! I know you don't know us, but me (I'm Bree) and my friends (Claire, Kim, and Rachel – they say hi!) are in the same sorority as your cousin Sue at the University of Nebraska. I mean, we aren't at the University of Nebraska, we are at the University of Maryland, but we are all Alpha Delta Epsilon sisters and she gave us your email address. We are looking for a Forks High School yearbook from 2002. Do you have one, and if you do, can you help us with some research we are doing? Please write back as soon as possible. Thanks! Bree, Kim, Claire, and Rachel. _

She looked at each of the girls and they nodded. She hit the send button. All they had to do now was wait.

Within a few minutes, they got a response.

"Read it!" Kim said.

"Ok, here goes.

_Dear Bree, _

_Hi! Sue told me you'd be writing me. I do have a Forks High 2002 yearbook, and I'd be happy to help you. What do you need?_

_Rebecca_

Bree wasted no time responding.

_Hey Rebecca, this might be easier by Skype. Can I call you?_

Within a few minutes, they'd connected. Bree sat in front of the computer screen with the girls around her.

"Hey, Rebecca, thanks for letting us call you."

"No problem, Bree. What do you guys need?"

"Do you have the yearbook with you?"

Rebecca held the precious book up for them to see. "Yeah, right here."

Bree grinned. "Here's what I need you to do. Can you look at the senior pictures, and find a girl named Isabella Swan?"

"Sure, hold on a minute." They could see Rebecca turn to the back of the yearbook and skip through the pages. "I sort of remember her, but she was a senior and I was a sophomore, so we didn't really know each other. Isn't she like a famous writer now? Here she is." Rebecca held up the yearbook so they could see Bella's senior picture with her yellow cap and gown and a fake diploma in her hand. Her smile was wide and genuine.

"That's her! Wow" Kim said, comparing the yearbook picture to the picture on the back cover of the novel she held in her hands. "She looks so young in that picture."

"Of course she does" said Bree. "She's younger in that picture than we are. And she looks so happy." She turned back to Rebecca. "Do you remember if she had a boyfriend?"

"No" Rebecca answered "I didn't know her that well."

"What now?" Claire whispered in Bree's ear.

"I've got it covered." Bree smiled at Rebecca. "Can you look through the yearbook, and see if you can find any other pictures of her, maybe with a boy? We're trying to find out who her boyfriend was, if she had one."

"OK, do you want to hold on while I look or should I call you back?"

"We'll just wait while you look, if that's OK."

Fifteen minutes later, they waited patiently as Rebecca looked page by page through the yearbook. Thirty minutes later, they were still waiting, but now they were having trouble being patient.

Bree grumbled. "Who knew such a tiny school could have so many pictures in their yearbook?" So far, Rebecca had found pictures of Bella in posed group shots for the Great Books Club, the Forks Literary Magazine staff, and the Spanish club.

"She's not in any of the sports team pictures" Rebecca said. "Now I'm looking through the pictures for the senior class trip."

"Rebecca, if you want to take a break for a while, we can call you later…"

"I found one!" Rebecca held up the yearbook but she was bouncing in her chair and they couldn't see the picture. "There's no way to know for sure, but there's this guy and he's got his arms around her and she's laughing. Oh wow, is he gorgeous!"

"Rebecca, hold still! We can't see the picture!" Bree felt a rush of excitement go through her. This had to be it. She and the girls crowded around the computer to see the picture when Rebecca finally – finally! – held it still.

"Oh man!" Claire sighed. "He's beautiful. And she's beautiful. And they're beautiful together!"

Rachel reached out to touch the screen. "We need to find out who he is!"

"How are we going to do that?" Kim brought everyone back to reality. "What if he doesn't even go to that school?"

"There's one way to find out." Bree was confident. "Rebecca, can you go through the senior class pictures, and see if you can find this guy?"

Rebecca was just as into this as they were now. "Of course! Bree, you're amazing. Senior class pictures, here we go."

They all but held their breath as she scanned the first page of senior pictures. "Not here. Going to the next page."

They watched as she turned the page, running her finger over every picture. She didn't get very far before letting out a screech. "There he is! It's him!"

Claire and Kim hugged each other, jumping up and down, while Rachel flopped down on the bed and kicked her feet.

Bree just smiled. "Ok, Rebecca, who is he?"

"His name is Edward Cullen."

"Edward Cullen." Bree let the name roll around in her head for a minute. "Edward Cullen."

"Hey Bree" Rebecca said. "Why am I looking him up?"

Bree's smile grew. "It's all for love, Rebecca. It's like the best love story ever!"


	8. Chapter 8

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 8**

**Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight – no copyright infringement intended.**

**Thanks to everyone following along on this journey! The reviews last chapter really helped – each one is terrific and I'm glad you are enjoying this. Let's see what happens now as Bella makes her way to her borrowed holiday home.**

* * *

"Alice, I have to admit it. You're a genius." Bella stood in front of the small cottage with her suitcases, phone to her ear, and prepared to open the front door with the key that had been left for her under the mat. "I'm not even inside yet, and I can tell it's perfect."

"Of course it is." Alice smirked. "I never do anything halfway."

"That's not always a good thing, Alice." Bella pushed open the door and walked in. "Oh Alice, its beautiful. I feel like Goldilocks. This cottage is just right." She turned around and saw the window that took up half the back wall, with a cushioned window seat tucked right beneath it. Through the window, she could see the ocean, its grey-green waves foamy from pounding against the cliffs. The only homes she could see were far in the distance. "Wow..."

Alice could hear the amazement in her friend's voice across the thousands of miles between them. "You just found the window and the window seat, right? Jasper and I…"

"Do not tell me what you and Jasper did or didn't do on the window seat. I'm going to pretend you didn't even start that sentence."

"Sorry, Bella." Alice sounded anything but sorry. "Maybe you'll meet some gorgeous Irishman and…"

Bella cut her off again. "Not why I'm here, Alice. No, I think I'll spend the whole two weeks sitting in that very spot and writing." She sighed. "I'm inspired just looking at it."

"No need to thank me, just write another best seller! I'll be waiting to see the first draft."

Bella knew how much she owed her friend. "Alice, really, thank you. For suggesting this trip, for, well, everything."

"I do have one itty bitty piece of news for you, Bella. No big deal. Just a very small work thing."

Bella picked up the biggest suitcase and carried it into the bedroom. She looked at the four poster bed sitting under a skylight and nearly squealed. She took a running jump smack onto the middle of the bed and nestled in the pillows. It was amazing. "Ok, Alice, what is it?"

"The publisher is going to reprint your book."

"Isn't it a little soon for a reprint?"

"With your regular books, yes, but remember, this is a Barbara Smith book, not a Bella Swan book, so the first run wasn't very big. They didn't expect big sales, and it's selling out everywhere." Alice took a deep breath. "And they're going to change the cover."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, they're going to change the cover."

"What? Why?"

"Now Bella, remember that any publicity is good publicity."

"Alice, tell me."

Like ripping off a band aid, Alice thought, and spit it out quickly. "They're going to put the dedication on the cover. Under the title. In big letters."

Bella sat up and groaned. "And you're going to let them? You're my agent. Tell them no!"

Alice shifted to her professional voice. "Sorry, sweetie, but it's good business."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't." Alice smirked, knowing she'd already won. "Enjoy the house, do lots of writing, and go exploring. Call me if anything interesting happens. Otherwise, just check your email from time to time. Bye!"

Alice leaned back in her office chair and steepled her fingers. She knew Bella wouldn't be happy about the book cover, but as her agent, she needed to make those decisions, and to tell her client what she'd done. What she didn't have to tell her was what that little cutie Bree Tanner said in her email this morning. And that, Alice thought, was way more interesting than anything they could put on the book cover.

**-TOTGA—**

Edward jotted some quick notes in the little book he'd brought with him as Emmett went over the current patients in his clinic. His brother had kicked him out of bed early in the morning. It was only ten o'clock, and they'd been to three farms. At each one, Emmett introduced him to the owner and went over anything he thought might come up in the next month before heading back to the clinic.

"The two cats can be discharged today, so this big guy is the last one." Emmett made kissy noises to the Dalmatian in the final cage. "You'll be back to normal in no time, won't you? And next time, you'll keep away from the cows."

Edward had to laugh. He and his brother were so different, but both of them treated their animals like people. He'd been teased more than once by his students for the way he talked to all his patients.

Emmett continued talking as they walked out the front of the clinic to Emmett's house, just next door. "Tanya will give you the schedule of patients for the week, and she'll be in Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to play receptionist. The rest of the week, you're on your own. But she's a great assistant, so if you get anything where you need help, emergencies or anything, just call her."

"Ok" said Edward. "How do I get hold of her?"

"Get hold of her? Well, you just slide your arms around her waist…"

"Not funny, Emmett."

"Sorry, Ed. I couldn't resist. But seriously, she can be here in a couple of minutes if you need her. She lives in the apartment upstairs. Over the clinic. Technically, she's my landlord." Emmett grinned. "And I'm just busting your chops about her. She's spoken for, so you don't have to worry about that."

Edward felt relieved, for some reason. "Ok, tell me what else I need to know before you leave."

A couple of hours later, Emmett was off to England, and Edward was on his own. He decided to walk to the local grocery to pick up a few things. Emmett's idea of a fully stocked refrigerator was one with beer and not a lot of food. It was a beautiful day, sunny and just cool enough to be comfortable. He felt the tension roll away as he set off down the road, thinking what a good thing coming here was turning out to be.

The store was small, just a few rows of shelves. Before long, he'd have to take the car Emmett left for him and head over to the big grocery store so he could do some proper shopping. Right now, he just wanted to pick up something for dinner tonight, and maybe some snacks.

Edward nodded to the man at the register, who smiled at him while taking care of an older woman who needed some help deciding which of two cakes she should buy. He walked to the back of the store and looked over the meat choices. He might love animals, but he couldn't bring himself to be a vegetarian. Suddenly, his nose caught a whiff of something familiar, and he jerked his head around looking for the source. Strawberries. He smelled strawberries. It reminded him of the way she always smelled, the way her hair smelled when he buried his nose in that lovely spot between her neck and her shoulder. He shook his head. Maybe it was the jet lag.

He heard the store owner ring up another customer. "Good day, miss" the man said. "We'll look forward to seeing you in here again, me and Matilda."

Edward turned to look and just caught a glimpse of chestnut hair going out the door and down the street. Just for a minute, he thought…but no. It was definitely jet lag. And the dream he'd had last night. The one that woke him out of a sound sleep because it was so real. So real he could almost feel her lips on his.

The store owner's voice jolted him out of his stupor. "Can I help you sir?"

A little embarrassed, Edward walked to the front of the store and set his few purchases down on the short counter. "Yes, sorry. Just these things, thanks."

"Today must be the day for visitors. You're the second unfamiliar face I've had here today." He held out his hand to Edward. "I'm Gerald Jenkins, but everyone calls me Jenks."

Edward shook his hand. "Edward Cullen. I'm…"

"Emmett's brother! He told me you'd be here for a bit."

"That's true. I'm going to fill in for him while he's away." Edward looked behind the counter, where a beautiful black lab lay on the floor. Next to her, three sleeping puppies were curled in a box. "I see you have some recent additions."

"This is my Matilda, and her pups. They're 3 months old and just big enough to be trouble when they aren't sleeping. I don't usually have them in the shop, but Dr. Emmett just gave them their shots yesterday and they're a bit sleepy."

Edward bent down and scratched Matilda behind the ears. "Nice to meet you, Matilda. You have beautiful babies there." He stood up and looked at Jenks with a genuine smile on his face. "I'm really looking forward to spending some time here. I just have a good feeling about this place."

They talked about Emmett, the clinic, and the town while Jenks added up Edward's few purchases. Then Edward remembered. "Oh, before I go, do you have any strawberries?"

"No, Dr. Edward, I'm sorry to say I don't. The big grocery outside town probably has them, if you fancy some."

"No, that's OK" said Edward. "It was just I thought I smelled them before." With a puzzled look on his face, Edward took his packages and headed back to his temporary home.

**-TOTGA—**

"I knew she'd write back! I knew it!" Bree shouted. She'd been on pins and needles since they sent the email to Ms. Hale. The email where they asked if she could confirm their suspicions about "the one that got away." The girls came running when they heard her excited voice.

"The agent?" Claire clapped her hands. "What did she say?"

"Yup, it's Ms. Hale."

Kim put her hands on her hips. "Read it, Bree, come on."

"Ok." Bree read the email out loud to her anxious friends.

_Dear Bree, Claire, Kim, and Rachel,_

_I read your email this morning. My, you girls have been busy. And such __good__ detectives! How did you ever find a Forks High yearbook? Any time you want to write a novel, be sure to let me know. I want first dibs on being your agent! _

_Ms. Swan really appreciates all your compliments on her new book, and she is sincerely grateful for your discretion about her true identity. I promise to send you each an autographed copy of her next book – she's at a secret location right now, working on it._

_Unfortunately, I can't answer your question about Edward Cullen. Ms. Swan is not telling anyone who the dedication is…well…dedicated to. But my goodness, you girls are so resourceful (winks)!_

_Alice Hale_

"It's definitely him" Bree announced.

Claire wasn't convinced. "What makes you think that? She won't say if it's him or not."

"Think about it. You girls are such good detectives? So resourceful? With a wink?" Bree was smug. "Oh, please. It's him."

Rachel shook her head in agreement. "Oh my God, you are so right. That has to be what she means."

"So what do we do now?" Claire didn't want to be left out of any fun, just because she hadn't figured it out right away.

"Now" said Bree dramatically "we find Edward Cullen. Ladies, grab your laptops!"


	9. Chapter 9

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer: everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.**

**It was really hard to write a new chapter this week, with everything that's going on in the Twilight world, especially when you want both the story and real life to have a happily ever after. Hoping they can find one.**

**Here goes…**

* * *

"How many Edward Cullens can there be?" Bree had her hands on her hips, staring at her laptop screen.

"Apparently, a bunch" Claire said, looking over Bree's shoulder at the number of hits their search turned up. "There are 243 hits for that name. Should we write to all of them?"

Bree thought for a moment. She didn't want to make this more difficult than it should be. "Just because we got 243 hits doesn't mean there are that many people named Edward Cullen. One guy might have 100 hits."

Rachel spoke up. "What if we start going through all the hits, and figuring out how many different guys there are? Like the first 4 hits are some veterinarian, so that's all one guy. Then there's three for this car dealer from Pittsburgh. And then there's…"

"Uh-oh" said Kim. "Bree's got that look on her face, you know, the one she gets when she thinks of something we've been too stupid to come up with."

"You guys are not stupid. You're just not looking at this the right way." Bree stared at them. "Come on, think! What do we know about him?"

"We think we know that he's Bella Swan's old boyfriend" said Claire.

"Well, that may be what we think, but it's not exactly what we know" Bree responded. "Ladies, seriously. This is a mystery and we have to think like detectives. What facts do we have?"

"I know!" Claire shouted. "We know that the Edward Cullen we are looking for went to Forks High School. There couldn't be more than one Edward Cullen who went there."

"Exactly" said Bree. "Rachel, do a search for Edward Cullen and Forks High School."

"On it" she answered. "Ok, I've got three hits for Edward Cullen and Forks High School. That must be him, right?"

"What does it say?" Bree tried not to sound impatient. Must she be the one to come up with all the good ideas here? She loved these girls like sisters, but – hello – she really had to show them everything!

"The first one is about him being the valedictorian of the Forks Class of 2002 and getting a full scholarship to college. "

"That fits – it's the right graduation year. Does it say where he went to college?"

"Nope. OK, let me check the next one." Rachel tapped a few keys. "Ok, both of the other ones are about his graduation from college. He went to the University of Pennsylvania."

"Excellent!" Bree smiled. "That's our next big clue. Kim, do a search for…"

"I know, for Edward Cullen and University of Pennsylvania" Kim said, her fingers already flying over the keys.

Claire nodded at the screen. "That was kind of far from home."

"It really was" Rachel added. "Maybe that's part of the story."

"Holy cow!" Kim looked at Bree. "There are 150 hits for Edward Cullen and University of Pennsylvania."

Kim and Rachel took turns clicking on the links while Claire took notes on what they found. It didn't take long before they figured out a pattern.

"It's the vet" Bree announced proudly. "He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and then went to their veterinary school. And he's the director of the Cullen Community Veterinary Clinic in Philadelphia. Do a search for the clinic."

"Got it." Rachel typed in the clinic name while they all watched. The page that opened showed the inside of a clean, modern animal hospital with a series of tabs at the top.

"Click there, the one that says 'Meet our Staff'." Bree pointed.

All four girls gasped when the picture of Dr. Edward Cullen, DVM, Clinic Director appeared.

"Holy crap!" Kim said. "He sure didn't get uglier after high school."

Bree took a deep breath and sighed. "He's…beautiful. How the heck did she let him get away?"

**-TOTGA—**

Bella was having some serious second thoughts about how she was going to get into town. The first time she went there, she'd walked. Her little house was about two miles outside of town, and while it was fine walking in, it was a little tough walking back with two bags of groceries. Today, she decided to take the bicycle she found behind the house. It was a girl's bike, thank goodness, and had a wire basket that was big enough to hold both her reusable bags. That had to be easier.

She hadn't left the cottage for a week, content to sit in the big window seat every day and write. She got up when she wanted, fixed meals when she was hungry, and when she was too tired to write, she read one of the books she found in a beautiful bookcase next to the fireplace. She hadn't checked her email all week, despite Alice's directions, and didn't intend to.

She'd actually gotten quite a bit written during the week. She was happy with the outline of the book, happy with the plot and with the setting. Her familiar main characters, the same ones that starred in all her mysteries, were cooperating, thank goodness, and they sleuthed their way through the first five chapters with no problem. Somewhere in the middle of chapter 6, her heroine encountered a mysterious man who may or may not be the bad guy. But when Bella re-read what she'd written this morning, the mysterious man sounded a bit too familiar. And when her female protagonist found herself locked in a passionate embrace with the bronze-haired, green-eyed man, as his mouth pushed harder against hers and his hands began to move down her sides…

"Ugh!" Bella moved her mouse and deleted the whole chapter. "What is wrong with me?" She decided that a trip to the grocery store in town would clear her mind.

"Like riding a bicycle? Who came up with that one?" Bella growled as she tried to pedal the bike. It had rained a bit that morning, and her sneakers were wet from walking across the grass. They slipped and slid on the pedals as she tried to gain her balance. Within a few minutes, she felt steady enough to head out to the road. The lush green hills reminded her a bit of Forks as she wobbled down the road. She smiled as she looked at the sheep grazing in the fields, and waved to two women she passed along the way. Yes, she realized, aside from the now-deleted bronze haired man, she was as relaxed as she'd been since the book with the crazy dedication came out.

"Thank you, Jenks." Bella smiled as he handed her the bags now containing her purchases. "I'll be sure to try making the lemon tarts, and if it works out, I'll bring you some. I haven't tried to bake anything here yet, but it seems a shame not to use such a lovely kitchen."

"Ah, Miss Bella, that would be wonderful." Jenks smiled at her. "And did you walk into town again this time?"

"No, actually, I found a bicycle behind the house and rode in. It was great, and everything is so beautiful. I think I might go for a long ride all around town after I drop these bags at home. Can you recommend anything I should see on my bike tour?"

They talked pleasantly for a while, and Jenks suggested which roads she might take for her little excursion. "Now you be careful, Miss Bella, and I'll look forward to seeing you next week."

"Bye Jenks, and thanks again!" She pushed open the door and walked outside, not noticing that the door hadn't closed completely. She moved to where she'd left the bike leaning against the building. Standing it up, she put the bags in the basket and swung her leg over the seat.

"And I thought I had balance problems before" she murmured, trying to keep the bike steady with the added weight of the things in her basket. Before she rode out into the street, she looked to her left automatically, just as she would at home. Seeing no cars coming, she pushed on the pedals and began to move.

Too many things happened at once. She heard a car horn and realized that she had looked the wrong way. A car was coming from the other direction, much too close to her for comfort. She started to swerve back onto the sidewalk when she heard Jenks yell and saw a streak of black run past her. Her mind somehow registered that it was one of Matilda's puppies, and she swerved back the other way, just managing to avoid it. But her second swerve put her right in the way of the car. As they tried to avoid each other, she lost her balance and fell, then watched in horror as the car hit the puppy.

A young man with russet skin and jet black hair jumped out of the car, and ran to her as she got up and ran to the puppy. Ignoring the scrapes on her hands and knees, she scooped up the whimpering dog and turned back to Jenks. "I think his leg is broken. Is there a vet nearby?"


	10. Chapter 10

The One That Got Away

Chapter 10

**Twilight, where Edward and Bella will always be in love, belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Almost 100 alerts and favorites – thank you! And thanks to everyone for the reviews. It's so great to hear that you like the story! **

Alice paced back and forth across her office on amazingly high and incredibly fashionable heels. Outside the windows of her 6th floor suite, the sun shone brightly over New York City's most famous landmarks, but she was too absorbed in her phone call to notice. Jasper stood, enjoying the view - of his wife and the landmarks - while he waited to take her to lunch.

"Well, yes, I certainly appreciate that you'd like Ms. Smith to appear on the Today show, but she really does not plan to do any press appearances." She paused to listen. "Yes, I know that as a new author she would benefit from the exposure, but trust me, I've discussed this with her, and as of right now, she isn't budging."

Jasper rolled his eyes, knowing that Alice was leaving the door open for the possibility that "Ms. Smith" might consider an appearance in the future.

"Does the dedication mean that the book is about the one who got away? What a good question! You're know, you're very perceptive, I've always said that about you." Alice smirked. "I'll be sure to pass your questions along to the author, and if anything changes, I promise you'll be the first to know. Bye now!"

Jasper walked to her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "You're such a manipulator. "

"I manipulated you into falling for me, didn't I?"

He smiled. "It didn't take any work to get me to fall in love with you, Alice." He kissed her again, this one a little longer and a little deeper. "But seriously, sweetheart. You know Bella isn't going to give in on this one. If she wanted people to know she wrote the book, she wouldn't have used a pen name."

"She wouldn't be the first famous author to write under a pen name and then admit to it later." She broke into a wide grin. "We'll see how it goes."

"Have you heard from her?"

"Not since the first day she got there. I've sent her some emails, but she hasn't answered, which means she must be writing. Oh Jasper, she sounded so pleased with the house. Remember how happy we were there?"

He remember exactly how happy they were, and thought that he'd have to talk to Liam about letting them stay there again soon.

"Ready for lunch?" Jasper laughed as Alice danced her way across the room. "You're awfully happy today. What's up?"

"I just have a really good feeling." Although she didn't often hide things from her husband, she didn't tell him about the email she'd gotten from Bree Tanner that morning. They were getting to be regular pen pals.

_Dear Ms. Hale,_

_Thanks for writing back to me. We know you can't tell us anything about Ms. Swan and her lost love (doesn't that sound way better than boyfriend?) but we think we've found him. He's a veterinarian in Philadelphia, and we're going to email him to see if he's the right one. We're pretty sure he is, based on pictures we found (he is amazingly hot!). Anyway, you've been so great, we just wanted to let you know what we're doing!_

_Bree, Kim, Claire, and Rachel_

Alice took Jasper's arm and squeezed it. "Something special is going to happen today, I just know it!"

-TOTGA—

Bella reached the puppy first, but Jenks and the driver of the car were right behind her. She knelt down and scooped the puppy into her lap, being careful not to touch the clearly broken leg. Tears ran down her face as she whispered comforting words in the puppy's silky ear. He looked into her eyes, and despite his injuries, he licked her hand. Her heart melted.

"I'm so sorry, I couldn't avoid him" said the young man. He looked horrified at the damage he caused.

"No, it was me, I looked the wrong way and I didn't see you." She looked around frantically. "Jenks, is there a vet nearby?"

Jenks was upset, but relieved that the puppy wasn't hurt worse than he appeared to be. If truth be told, he was just as concerned about Bella and her injuries as he was about the puppy. "Yes, Dr. Edward is right down the street." They all turned to see Matilda squeeze through the door and run to her puppy.

"It's OK, Matilda" Jenks said, rubbing her ears as she snuffled at the pup. "Your wee one will be just fine."

Bella tried to stand, holding the puppy, but winced at the pain in her knees.

"Miss Bella, you're hurt too" Jenks said. The driver looked at Bella's knees and at the puppy's leg, and looked like he might pass out himself.

"I'll be fine. We just need to get this little one to the vet. Will you show us where he is?"

Jenks pulled the door of the shop closed so the other pups wouldn't run out, then led the way down the block with Matilda, Bella, the puppy, and the driver. Bella tripped a little and struggled to keep hold of the dog.

"Let me hold him" said the driver. "I'm Jacob…Jacob Black. Please let me help." He started to take the puppy from her arms, but backed off when Matilda growled at him.

"It's OK, Matilda, he didn't mean to hurt him." Bella's voice calmed the anxious mamma dog. Jenks couldn't help but smile, despite the situation.

"Is it far?" Bella shifted the puppy and kept walking.

"No" said Jenks. "Just a few more doors." He was relieved to see the familiar sign for "Dr. E. Cullen." Bella, her hands full of puppy, didn't notice it.

Jenks pushed open the door, and everyone filed into the clinic, Matilda leading the way.

-TOTGA—

Edward stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He took another one and rubbed his hair, leaving it spiky.

He'd been called out to one of the local farms in the middle of the night by a concerned owner. A prize mare was having trouble giving birth to her first foal and it looked at first like there could be a real problem. The foal's front legs appeared, just as they should, but the head and shoulders didn't follow right away. Edward thought he might have to reposition the foal, but he kept the mare calm and gave her some time to relax. Before long, she delivered the foal without any more trouble. Edward stayed for a couple of hours, just to make sure everything was OK, and desperately needed a shower and maybe a couple of hours of sleep by the time he got home.

He dressed quickly in clean jeans and a button down shirt. Just as he sat down on the bed, he heard furious pounding at the front door. His first thought was that there was a problem at the clinic, but wouldn't Tanya have called him if that was the case? He checked his phone, and sure enough, there were two missed calls that came in while he was in the shower. He pulled his shoes on and hurried down the stairs.

He yanked open the door. "Jenks, what are you doing here? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Edward. One of Matilda's puppies got out into the street and got hit by a motorist." He frowned. "Tanya is trying to help him. She called you…"

"I know, I'm sorry. I was in the shower and didn't hear the phone." Edward tucked his phone in his pocket and grabbed his keys from the small table by the door. He turned to Jenks as they walked to the clinic door. "How badly injured does he seem?"

Jenks said "I'm sure his leg's broken, but other than that I can't tell."

"Was he awake after it happened?"

"Yes" Jenks said. "He was licking her hand while we walked here but he didn't make a sound." Edward didn't ask who the hand belonged to. "Matilda's come with us, she wouldn't leave him."

Edward smiled at the thought of the mamma dog but kept quiet. He didn't want to say anything about broken legs or anything else until he knew whether there were other injuries.

Through the open door of the exam room he could see Tanya, her unmistakable red hair pulled up in a bun on top of her head. The puppy was lying still on the table, and even before he got in the room Edward could see the leg that was obviously broken. Matilda stood next to the table, poking her nose over the edge.

"Excuse me, Matilda" Edward said, giving her a quick pat before moving to the sink to wash his hands. A tall man was standing by the wall, shifting nervously from one foot to another.

"Is he going to be OK? I didn't mean to hit him." The man looked at Jenks. "I would have hit her if I didn't swerve but I never meant to hit the puppy."

Edward could tell the man was upset, but his priority was to deal with his patient. "I'll be able to tell you more once I examine him." He thanked Tanya, and began to run his hands over the puppy. "Hey, little one. It's OK, just hold still." He examined the leg, and then began to check for other injuries, talking quietly the whole time. "You sure did a number on that leg, little guy. But your mamma is here to look out for you." Matilda whined as though she understood him.

Edward continued his examination. "Eyes look good, no bleeding from the mouth that might signal internal injuries." He felt the abdomen and was pleased. "It looks as though the leg might be the worst of it. The next thing is to determine whether he needs surgery or whether we can splint or cast it." Edward mused that Emmett was right about Tanya. She worked well around him, moving the puppy carefully without being asked into just the right position for Edward to examine the leg.

"Jenks, I'm afraid it's going to need surgery, but he should have a complete…" Edward looked up when another person walked into the room. He found himself staring into chocolate brown eyes, a heart-shaped face, and chestnut hair that he knew by touch. He swore his heart stopped. "Bella…."

Across the room, Bella Swan stopped dabbing at the blood on her hands, and fainted.


	11. Chapter 11

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 11**

**The Twilight world, where Bella would have fainted just from the sight of the blood, belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Wow – there were more reviews for the last chapter than for any other so far! Now I understand why writers like reviews so much. Thank you everyone!**

**Well, at least they've seen each other….**

Bella crumpled rather gracefully to the floor in a dead faint, her long hair falling over her face and shielding it from view.

Edward froze, his hands still on the puppy and his mind racing in a dozen directions at once. How…why…how could _his_ Bella be here? He couldn't see her face because of the curtain of hair and for a split second he thought perhaps he'd been wrong – that it wasn't her, just someone with similar features. But he knew that wasn't true. He sensed her as soon as she walked in the room, felt her presence before he ever saw her beautiful face. He'd always been able to do that, always been able to tell when she was near. So many emotions raced through him at once. Shock, confusion, amazement, but more powerful than all of them, a sense that his world had just settled back into place after many long years. A sense that told him he was home, as if his heart had begun to beat again after all this time.

"Miss Bella!" Jenks' voice snapped Edward back to reality. He wanted nothing more than to run to her, to make sure that she was ok. He wanted to be the first thing she saw when she woke up again. Instead, he remembered that he was holding the puppy's broken leg. As if it sensed his confusion, the puppy chose that moment to struggle against his hands.

"Tanya, can you hold him for just a moment?" Tanya's hands replaced his and she made cooing noises to calm the injured pup. Edward started to move around the table to get to Bella, and then realized he wasn't the only one trying to do so.

The tall young man, who apparently was the same idiot who hit the dog with his car, moved to Bella's side and was brushing the hair back from her face. Edward couldn't move. He watched as the man easily scooped Bella into his arms, and felt his heart drop.

Tanya looked from Edward to Jenks, who seemed just as confused as she was. Well, she thought, someone has to take charge of this. She pointed to the man cradling Bella in his arms. "You there - take her back to the reception room, there's a sofa. You can lay her down there till she wakes up."

Everyone turned to look at her.

"She didn't seem to hit her head very hard, but she'll be better lying down." She turned to Edward and took in the expression on his face. She wasn't a stupid girl, and she knew something strange was going on here.

Jacob began to carry Bella out to the sofa. Matilda whined, seemingly torn between staying with her puppy and comforting Bella. Edward knew exactly how she felt.

"Dr. Edward" Tanya said "why don't you go check on her? I'll make this little one comfortable and start getting things arranged for the surgery."

He threw her a grateful glance and nodded his head in approval. "Thanks, Tanya. I want to do the surgery as soon as I make sure Bella is OK."

The puppy settled down under Tanya's soothing hands, and Matilda lay down next to the table, her head on her paws. Edward smiled. At least Matilda didn't seem to think he needed any help with this.

Edward nearly ran to the reception area, and felt his heart twist again when he saw Bella's tiny hand cradled in the hands of the idiot car driver.

Jenks spoke first. "So, Dr. Edward, you've met our Bella, then?"

Before he could answer, the young man released Bella's hand, stood, and stuck out his hand. "I'm Jacob Black. Is she going to be OK? I mean, did she faint because she's hurt?" Edward reluctantly shook Jacob's hand, trying to figure out what this guy was to Bella.

"Let me see." Edward knelt down next to her and took her wrist in his hand. He felt her pulse, and was pleased to find that it was strong and regular, but all he could think about was the way her pulse always accelerated whenever they kissed, whenever they touched, whenever they loved each other. His face flushed and he knew he had to stop touching her now. Gently, ever so gently, he placed her hand back on the couch.

Edward stood and took a step back. "Her pulse is fine, so I expect she'll come around in just a few minutes. If she doesn't, I think we have some smelling salts around here."

"Thank goodness" said Jenks, relieved. "Dr. Edward, if you're sure Miss Bella will be fine, can you tell me what will happen to Matilda's little one?"

With a reluctant glance over his shoulder, he walked Jenks back to the examination room. When they got to the door, he spoke without turning around. "I'll send Tanya out as soon as I can spare her. She can help patch up Bella's knees." He couldn't look at the man he assumed was with his Bella. No, he reminded himself. Not his Bella. Not anymore.

**-TOTGA—**

Bree looked up as Claire walked in her room.

"How's the studying going?" Claire flopped down on the bed.

Bree didn't even try to hide her frustration. "There is no good reason in this world for anyone to have to take two semesters of accounting courses. There is no way I will ever understand accounting, and no way in hell I'll ever use this." She looked at Claire with a smirk. "Once I'm the CEO of my own business, I'll have lots of people working for me. Including accountants. And they can figure out these stupid numbers."

The loud ding told Bree that she had an incoming email message. Anxious to think about anything but accounting, she spun her chair around to the computer to check it.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"What is it?" said Claire. "Is it from the clinic? Is it from him?"

"Oh, it's from the veterinary clinic" Bree sighed. "It's just not the answer I was hoping for." She read a bit more and her frown began to shift into a smile. "Oh, wait…yes, good, yeah, that'll work."

"What?" Claire waved to Kim and Rachel to come in.

"Well, it seems that the gorgeous Dr. Edward Cullen is on a temporary leave of absence and cannot be reached through the clinic."

"Oh crap" Rachel said. "How are we going to ask him?"

Bree held up her hand. "Not to fear, ladies. Since I told them that we were students doing research based on one of Dr. Cullen's articles….."

Kim gaped at her. "What did you say to them?"

Bree smirked. "I told them we were doing a senior research project based on Dr. Cullen's article about non-surgical interventions for hip dysplasia in certain dog breeds."

"I don't even know what that means" said Claire.

"That's the whole point. We don't have to know what it means." Bree was especially proud of herself for this one. "I Googled him again, and just picked out one of the journal articles he wrote. And put in the email that we wanted to know more about it."

Three blank stares.

"Think about it. If I wrote and said we were trying to find him because we wanted to reunite him with his long-lost high school sweetheart, how far do you think we would have gotten with his clinic?"

Kim thought a minute. "OK, I get it. Some secretary probably opens all the clinic email, and if we told her that, she probably wouldn't even tell him about it."

"Yeah" said Claire. "She's probably really old but has the hots for him and wouldn't want us to find his girlfriend. She'd just delete the email…"

Bree cut her off. "Really, Claire? Really?"

Claire mumbled. "If I worked with him, that's what I'd do."

The others started to laugh, and Claire joined in sheepishly.

"So if you're done thinking about how you would jump Dr. Cullen if you worked with him" Bree ducked as Claire threw a pillow at her "maybe you'd like to hear the good news."

"What is it?"

"Listen up." Bree read out loud.

"_Dear Ms. Tanner,_

_Thank you for your interest in the Cullen Veterinary Clinic and Dr. Cullen's research, and your interest in non-surgical treatments for hip dysplasia. Dr. Cullen is currently on a temporary leave, and he is not expected to return for approximately a month. In the meantime, Dr. Sam Uley is the acting director of the clinic. He worked with Dr. Cullen on this study and could certainly answer any of your questions. However, Dr. Cullen is reading and responding to email if you need to speak with him specifically."_

"And….we've got his personal email address!" Bree took a bow as her roommates applauded. "Now, ladies, we have got one really important email to write!"

**-TOTGA—**

Edward pulled off the surgical gown and threw it in the bin. He walked back to the table where the puppy was still out. "That was nice work, Tanya. Thanks." She smiled at him and continued cleaning up the room. "And thanks for taking care of Bella."

"It was no bother. She just needed to have her scrapes cleaned up a bit."

"She was OK once she came around?" He couldn't keep the concern out of his voice.

"Yes, she was." Tanya smiled at him. "Perhaps someday you'll tell me how you know her."

When he didn't answer, she said "And why she's so important to you."

Edward looked at her in surprise.

"Don't say anything now. You've got a worried master and mother dog to talk to." And with that, she shooed him out the door.

Edward knew she was right. He walked out to the reception area, where he found Jenks sitting on the couch rubbing Matilda's ears.

"How is he, Dr. Edward? Tanya said it would be alright if I left for just a bit to check on the other pups and to close up the shop."

"I'm happy to tell you he'll be fine." And Edward realized he _was_ happy. He liked this place and these people, and he was glad he could help when needed. "The surgery went very well. It's bandaged now, but tomorrow we'll put a cast on it, probably keep him another day to see how he's doing, and then you can take him home." He smiled when Matilda reached up and put a paw on his knee. "Yes, Matilda. Your baby will be just fine."

Jenks was relieved, but also curious. "Dr. Edward, can I ask you, did you just meet our Bella? You looked almost like you'd seen a ghost when she walked in."

"That's exactly what it seemed" Edward said without thinking. "Jenks?"

"Yes, Dr. Edward?"

"Where did Bella go – after she woke up, I mean?"

"Mr. Jacob drove her home" Jenks replied. He 'd suggested it himself, cringing when he thought of Bella trying to ride her bike all the way back home with her knees such a mess.

"Of course" Edward snapped. He politely but firmly excused himself. "I need to go now, I've got a patient to check on."

"Me and Matilda, we both thank you for today, Dr. Edward."

Edward gave him a sad smile and walked away, anxious to be alone with his thoughts.


	12. Chapter 12

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 12**

**The Twilight world, where Edward would still have made assumptions about Jacob, belongs to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.**

**Thanks to my wonderful readers for your support and ideas. Edward certainly should remember what happens when you assume things. And for those of you who are getting impatient? We're getting closer…**

* * *

Bella had come around from her inevitable faint to find herself on a couch in the reception area, with Jenks hovering near her feet and a stranger – oh, she remembered, the guy with the car – standing near her head. The red haired girl from the clinic walked up with gauze and iodine in her hands.

"Excuse me, I think you'll feel much better if we get some of the blood and dirt off your knees." Tanya knelt down next to Bella, who sat up and turned to face her.

"Thanks" she said. "I don't think I did a very good job of cleaning it up. I'm not good with blood." Suddenly she remembered why they were there. "How's the puppy? Is he OK?"

Jenks smiled. "Dr. Edward says he'll be just fine after he operates on his leg." Jacob shook his head in agreement.

"Edward…" Bella whispered to herself. It was real, then. He was here. For a minute, she thought she'd dreamed it, that it was just a heartbreakingly real part of her subconscious. After all, she dreamt about him almost every night. Why wouldn't her brain conjure him up after she fainted?

But no, she knew deep inside her that she didn't dream it. No dream could replicate that velvety voice, or the green of his eyes as they opened wide in surprise at seeing her. She could feel him, feel his presence. Oh, this wasn't good. She looked up, her eyes meeting Tanya's.

Tanya looked back down to Bella's knees. "Dr. Cullen is operating on the puppy. As soon as we've cleaned up your knees, I need to go back and assist him."

That seemed to wake her up. "No, go now, go help him. I'll be fine, but you have to make sure the puppy is OK."

Tanya taped the last piece of gauze in place and stood. The two women stared at each other for a moment, each taking the measure of the other. Tanya smiled then turned to Jenks. "It could be a while before he's done, but he'll no doubt be out to see you as soon as he can."

"Miss Bella, please let Mr. Jacob give you a ride home. You're not in any shape to ride your bike back home." Jenks twisted his hands as he pleaded with her.

She didn't want to leave. She wanted to see Edward. But her hands and knees did hurt, and this might be her only chance to get a ride home. And besides, was she really ready to see him? Bella cringed. There was no doubt in her mind that Edward hated her for what she'd done. Yes, he'd been surprised to see her, but once he had a chance to think back on how they parted, she was sure he'd be angry that she was occupying space in the same little Irish town. Maybe it would be better if she left. Maybe, she thought, it would be better if she left Ireland. No, that was stupid. She was just overreacting.

An hour later, she climbed out of Jacob's car in front of her little house. "Thank you" she said. "I appreciate the ride."

He got out and looked at her over the roof of the car. "It was the least I could do after hitting the puppy and nearly hitting you."

"OK, well, thank you." She took out her key and started to open the door.

"How are you going to get your bike?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I could come pick you up tomorrow and take you back to the store to get your bike. Maybe buy you lunch to make up for everything?"

Bella just stared at him. This wasn't why she was here. And she certainly didn't see almost getting hit by a car as some sign of fate intervening. "No, thanks, I mean, I really appreciate the ride home, but I'll get the bike when I'm ready. And thanks for the offer but…I'm really here to work and I've put myself pretty far behind schedule today." She thought for a minute that he was going to try again, but he shrugged his shoulders and got back in the car after waving a quick goodbye with his fingers.

Bella pushed open the door and shut it behind her. All the stress of the day seemed to catch up with her at once. Leaning against the back of the door, she slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Edward."

**-TOTGA—**

Bree had to admit it, she was brilliant. With a little help from her friends, she'd managed to identify Bella Swan's boyfriend, track him down, and find out his personal email address. Now, also with some help from the girls, she'd managed to write the perfect email. She was absolutely sure that this email would get a response from the mysterious and absolutely gorgeous Dr. Edward Cullen.

"What if this doesn't work?" Claire was still skeptical. "What if he doesn't answer?"

"Claire, are you kidding?" Kim stuck her head over Bree's shoulder to read it again. "How could he possibly resist?"

Bree chuckled. She loved these girls, but they didn't have her…sophistication…yes, that was the word. Her sophistication with men. She might not have a lot of real experience, ok, she didn't have much experience at all, but she read practically every romance novel ever written. And the last Fan Fiction story she wrote even had a little lemon in it! Quite daring, if she did say so herself.

"Men are so easy to understand, Claire, and the sooner you realize that the better." Bree looked smug. "All you have to do is flatter them a little, make them think they are the most important thing in your world…and then POW!"

Claire frowned. "Pow?"

"Yup – once you've got their attention, then you hit 'em with what you really want. Easy!"

Rachel jumped off the bed. "Bree, can I? Please?"

"Can you what?"

"Can I hit send? Please?" Rachel gave Bree her best pleading look. "I'll stand in line in the dining hall for you for the next week."

"I'll do your laundry for two weeks" said Kim. Rachel shot her a mean look.

"I'll take notes for you in Western Civilization for the next three weeks" said Claire, getting caught up in the moment even if she wasn't completely convinced this would work.

Bree thought for a moment. "Throw in 2 weeks of accounting homework, and you've got it."

"Me!" shouted Kim, the business major. "Me, me, me!" Bree stepped to the side and gestured to the keyboard, while Claire and Rachel pouted.

Kim very dramatically leaned over and hit the magic button, and they all squealed.

**-TOTGA—**

Edward sat on the edge of his bed and pulled his shirt off over his head. The adrenaline rush from the surgery on Matilda's puppy had worn off, and left him exhausted. He realized that he'd never gotten the nap he wanted after dealing with the new foal that morning – was it only that morning? And then everything with the puppy started, and he jumped right in.

He'd pushed thoughts of everything else out of his mind during the surgery. He'd always been really good at compartmentalizing things. His laser-like focus had been the envy of many of his fellow students. But now, when it was all over, and he was here alone in his room, his thoughts turned to Bella. Edward still couldn't believe that she had just appeared in his – make that in Emmett's – clinic today. After seven long years, seven years in which he'd missed her every damn day, suddenly she was just there.

He wanted to touch her, to run his hands through her hair, to pull her close and press his lips against hers. He wanted to smell her strawberry scented hair, and check to see that his favorite freckle, the one just behind her ear, was still there.

Edward pulled off his shoes and his jeans and lay down on the bed. After 15 minutes, he knew he wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon. Maybe that was for the best. It was barely 7:00, and if he fell asleep now, he'd probably wake up way too early tomorrow.

Maybe if he read his email, that would help. Edward walked downstairs and grabbed a cookie from the box he'd left on the kitchen counter. He walked into the little room on the first floor that Emmett used for an office. He hit the button to turn on the computer, and went back in the kitchen to grab the rest of the cookies. Why the hell not, after the day he had? Maybe, he thought, he would google Bella, see what he could find. He hadn't done that since college, when he'd been trying to find out anything he could about where she'd gone and what she was doing. He smiled when he saw the picture on the desk of Emmett and Rosalie Hale from high school. Guess he wasn't the only one who hadn't gotten over somebody.

He sat back down and logged into his email, stuffing another cookie in his mouth. One email from his mom, checking up on him as usual. He smiled at it and promised himself he'd write her a long, newsy response in the morning. Two from Emmett with pictures of some clinics he toured saying it "would be amazingly awesome if we could make our clinic look like this!" Edward shook his head. You just had to love Emmett. Some junk mail, and then a note from Sam Uley about a clinical study they were working on together. There was no way he could focus on the statistics tonight. That one could wait for morning too.

Then he saw one from Bree Tanner. Edward didn't recognize the name, so he checked the email address. It had an "edu" ending, which meant it was from a college or university. Was she one of his students? No, it wasn't a University of Pennsylvania address. But it was a student, looked like maybe from University of Maryland, and the professor in him made him open it rather than deleting it.

_Dear Dr. Cullen, (can we call you Edward?)_

_My name is Bree, and I'm writing to you from the University of Maryland along with my friends (and sorority sisters – Alpha Delta Epsilon forever!) Claire, Kim, and Rachel. We need your help, and you are the __only__ one who can help us._

_There is a new book out and it's been all over the news. It's a romance. Do you read romance novels? I know a lot of men don't, but personally, we all agree that most of the boys we know could really benefit from reading a little romance, if you know what I mean. Anyway, the cover says it was written by Barbara Smith, but really, it was written by another author. It would take too long to explain how we found out this out, so you will just have to trust us on this one. The author's name is Bella Swan. Do you know her? We think maybe you do. Just saying._

_Anyway, what is really amazing is not the book, although it's a really good story. What's amazing is that she dedicated it to "the one that got away."_

_So what we want to know, Dr. Cullen, is this. Are you the one that got away?_

_Your friends,_

_Bree, Claire, Kim, and Rachel_

Edward spit cookie crumbs all over the keyboard, then made himself sit still and read it again. By the time he was done, he knew what he had to do. Without waiting another second, he ran up the stairs to grab his clothes.


	13. Chapter 13

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 13**

**A/N Twilight, and everything about it – including Edward's green eyes and Bella's chocolate brown eyes, belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Thanks for all the great reviews for the last chapter. You guys are absolutely the best!**

**A little longer than usual, but we have a lot to cover. Here we go!**

* * *

Edward ran down the street to Jenks' store, barely pausing to pull his shoes on, only to find it closed and dark. He slowed to a stop outside the store and ran his hands through his hair. Of course the store would be closed, after everything that happened today. Edward had hoped that Jenks would be able to tell him where he could find Bella. Instead, thirty minutes after he ran out the door, Edward was back in Emmett's kitchen, his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. His only thought after reading that email had been to find Bella – to find her and to confront her about that dedication. After all this time, there was no way he was letting her go without talking. At least talking. And who knew where talking could lead.

"No, stop it!" Edward knew he was talking to himself, but he didn't care. He knew nothing about her life now. Nothing about that twit, Jacob, and what his place in Bella's life might be. The only thing that seemed to be clear was that she didn't live in Ireland, at least he thought that was clear.

"Damn it!" He realized that nothing would be accomplished tonight. Edward stood up and stalked back to Emmett's office. He re-read the email from Bree, looking for anything he could hold onto until morning, and a flash of inspiration hit him. Didn't the girls say that Bella really wrote the book that was supposed to be from Barbara Smith? A few clicks later, he opened the Barnes and Noble website and typed Barbara Smith into the search bar. One book appeared. He read everything on the screen, and there it was, that mysterious dedication. His eyes widened as he read the description of the romance, the hero, the heroine. He entered his information, clicked "download this book" and settled in for some reading that was very different from his usual veterinary journals.

**-TOTGA—**

Alice was starting to get worried. Bella had been in Ireland for over a week, and she had yet to hear from her, or receive any chapters of the new book to review. She was sure, as she told Jasper, that the relative silence meant that Bella was working, but it wasn't like her to stay out of touch for this long. And Alice just had a feeling that there was more than writing going on, and her curiosity was getting the best of her.

Glancing over her shoulder at the bed where Jasper was sound asleep, his arms wrapped around the pillow. She thought about climbing back in bed, but knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. She slipped out the bedroom door and went to her home office. She pulled up her email and scanned it quickly. Nothing from Bella, and nothing from the little college girls. Alice frowned. There was nothing she liked less than not knowing what was going on. She opened a new email and began to type.

_Hi Bella,_

_How's Ireland? And how's my favorite window seat (sorry, couldn't resist…but I have really good memories of that spot!) I hope the fact that I haven't heard from you for days means that your book is buzzing along, and we'll all be cracking open a bottle of champagne for it soon! All is well here - we've got some public relations stuff to talk about when you get back. Of course you know everything I've done on your behalf while you were away is working amazingly (as usual). Wait till you see the book sale figures for your little romance!_

_Enough business - just wanted to check in and see if you are still planning to fly home on Saturday. Jasper and I will pick you up at the airport, and I expect to hear all about your trip, especially if you've met anyone especially interesting. You never know!_

_Love, (personally and professionally)_

_Alice_

There was no way she was going to tell Bella about Bree and her band of snoops, especially not by email. A ding let her know that she had a new email. It was from Rosalie! Alice squealed in delight. She hadn't talked to Rose in ages, and was anxious to catch up. The three of them – Rose, Bella, and Alice – had always been close, but their respective jobs usually kept them far apart. She clicked on the email.

_Hey girlfriend!_

_It's been a long time, I know, all my fault, but I've been crazy with back to back modeling assignments that have had me all over the place. Some days I don't even know what state – or what country – I'm in. But here's the good news – I have a weeklong break followed by another shoot in New York, so I thought I'd come in a few days early and visit! Do you think we could get Bella to fly in and make a real girls weekend out of it? I haven't talked to her in forever. Didn't you tell me there was some hot secret about her new book? _

_Anyway, if you're free, let me know and I'll book my flight. Can't wait to see you! We'll catch up on everything then, but here's a little tidbit for you. Guess who I heard from? Completely out of the blue…Emmett Cullen! He was in London and saw a picture of me in the paper from the shoot I did there last week, and he found me on Facebook. I haven't talked to him in years….I'll fill you in when I see you._

_Love you,_

_Rose_

Alice gasped in surprise. After what happened with Edward and Bella, both Cullens had broken off contact with the rest of their little group. This could be interesting. She rubbed her hands together in glee, and skipped back to the bedroom so she could wake Jasper with her news. And maybe remind him about why they liked that window seat so much.

**-TOTGA—**

Bella knew it was morning by the bright light streaming through her bedroom window. Unlike home, it got light so early here, and it left her a bit disoriented, even after a week. She'd stayed up much too late last night, unable to sleep even after all the excitement. Finally, at some point, she stopped trying to sort through all the overwhelming feelings and just gave in and curled up in bed. And, of course, spent the few hours she did sleep dreaming about Edward. In her dream, she hadn't fainted when she saw him (that's how she knew it was a dream) and Edward had walked over, taken her hand, and kissed her. And then kissed her some more. Bella shook her head to clear the dream away. She thought about how beautiful he looked and the expression on his face when he saw her, and felt panic welling up in her.

"What should I do?" she said to no one.

Actually, she realized, she didn't have to do anything. She could just stay at the cottage for the next few days. She was sure he wouldn't seek her out, and if she didn't go looking for him, they could just avoid each other for the four days until she left. Four days…only four days. But how could she be so close to him and not see him? And once she went back to her real life, she'd probably never see him again. She punched her pillow in frustration and then threw it across the room. How could such a wonderful trip turn into such a nightmare all at once?

Bella jumped when she heard a knock on the front door. She didn't know who it could be. No one knew she was staying here…no one, except for that pain in the ass Jacob who drove her home. She thought she'd made it clear yesterday that she wasn't interested. Anger flared through her. Couldn't he take no for an answer? She jumped out of bed, crossed to the door, and flung it open.

"Look, I appreciate that…" and she broke off when she realized the person in front of her wasn't Jacob at all.

"Good morning, Bella." Edward's face lit up with a crooked grin as he took in her messy hair, ratty sweat pants and tee shirt. She looked beautiful…more beautiful than he'd ever seen her despite her outfit. She'd changed in the last seven years, and none of those changes were bad. She looked more like a woman than the 17 year old girl she'd been the last time he saw her. But the most important thing, her chocolate brown eyes, hadn't changed at all. He couldn't read the expression he saw in them, but he thought maybe, just maybe, she was happy he was there, and his heart pounded in response.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" It was the first thing that came into her head.

"I, um, thought maybe we could talk. If that's OK with you." He shuffled his feet a bit, and she remembered the shy, sweet boy he'd been so many years ago.

His green eyes looked at her intently. What did that look mean? Bella thought, she hoped maybe it was….no, he couldn't still feel anything for her. It was probably just curiosity. Suddenly, she realized what she must look like, and began to run her hands through her messy hair.

"Oh, crap, I'm sorry. I mean, I just woke up." She gestured to her outfit and groaned as she thought about what she was wearing.

All of a sudden, Edward had the most terrible thought. What if… what if that idiot Jacob was here? What if he was here with her? What if they'd spent the night together? What if they spent every night together? Oh, no. The thought made his stomach hurt.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't think about how early….is Jacob here?" He grimaced. How stupid to think she'd be alone. "I'll just leave." He started to walk away, then looked back over his shoulder. The expression in his eyes this time seemed clear. Sadness, and maybe even longing.

"Who? No!" Bella stepped outside. She couldn't stand it if he left now. "There's no one here but me. Just me. Edward, please. I…I'd like to talk. If you still want to."

Edward stepped back toward the cottage. But he couldn't help himself. "Are you and Jacob…?"

She nearly laughed. "I only met Jacob yesterday when he tried to run me over."

Edward was more relieved than he could say. "Okay then." His voice was just a little shaky.

Bella stopped suddenly. "How did you find me here?"

"I asked Jenks where you lived. " He blushed a little. "I was the first person at the store this morning."

They walked into the front room. She gestured to the window seat, thinking they could sit there in the morning sun. Then she remembered what Alice said about it. She blushed as extremely inappropriate thoughts, echoes of her recent dreams all starring Edward, flooded her mind. She turned quickly and motioned to the two chairs. They sat, facing each other.

"This place is beautiful" Edward said, looking around. What he was really thinking was "You're beautiful. You're still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen" but he didn't dare say it. He wanted nothing more than to reach across the small distance between them and touch her. His hands clenched into fists with the effort to restrain himself.

"Yes, it is. I'm going to be sorry to leave it." Bella frowned as she thought how soon that would be. What she was really thinking was "I'm going to be so sorry to leave you – again." It was all she could do not to reach out and stroke Edward's cheek, run her fingers through his hair. His face looked older, more mature, and even more handsome than the last time she'd seen him.

"Can I make you some tea?" Bella knew if she didn't find something to do with her hands, she'd give in to what she really wanted to do.

He nodded. "That would be great, actually."

Bella busied herself with the tea kettle and nearly jumped when she realized he was standing behind her. She could feel the air vibrating between them. All she had to do was lean back into his chest. But what would he think if she did? Instead she picked up two mugs and filled them, automatically putting two spoons of sugar in each one. She looked up, and they stared into each other's eyes.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. I made your tea the way I like it. I didn't even ask you."

"It's OK, Bella. That's actually the way I take my tea as well."

She smiled. "You always did have a sweet tooth."

"So did you."

"You remember."

"I remember everything, Bella."

She turned so he wouldn't see the tears that sprang to her eyes. Instead, she made her way back to the main room and sat down in one of the chairs. Edward did the same. They sat in peaceful silence for a few moments. Finally, Edward put his cup on the table. He reached over, took her cup from her hands, and set it next to his. He sat on the edge of his chair, with his arms resting on his legs and his hands folded in front of him. He took a deep breath and looked at her.

"Bella" he said, his voice deep and full of meaning. "Am I the one that got away?"


	14. Chapter 14

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 14**

**A/N – The Twilight universe belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Another new record for reviews! Thanks everyone – you are the best! Yes, I know it was a cliffie, but you have to give Bella some time to react to Edward's question, don't you think? Two steps forward and one step back….**

* * *

Bella was awfully glad she hadn't taken a sip of her tea, because she would have spit it all over the table, and probably all over Edward too. She grabbed the arms of the chair to steady herself.

"W-what did you say?"

He spoke carefully, cautiously. "It's a simple question, Bella. Am I the one that got away?"

She jumped out of the chair and picked up her teacup, instantly annoyed that her shaking hand was making the cup rattle. She nearly snorted. There was certainly nothing simple about that question.

"I don't know what that means. I don't know what you're talking about." She turned to stalk toward the kitchen, but a gentle hand on her arm stopped her.

"Bella" he said, his voice like warm velvet flowing over her "I know about the dedication, the one in your new book." He swallowed hard. "What I need to know is whether it has anything to do with me. Or, I guess, with us."

"I'm sorry, Edward" she said without looking at him. "I don't have a new book, and you just aren't making any sense." She knew if he looked into her eyes, it would be all over. Of course the dedication was about him!

He wasn't buying this. "Well, just tell me this." His voice was a little more demanding. "If it's not about me, then who is it? Is it someone else?"

Of course not, Bella thought. There was never – would never – be anyone but him. But she couldn't tell him that. Could she?

He knew. Edward knew, in his gut, that he was the person in the dedication. But how to get her to admit it? Frustrated, he took his hand off her arm and ran it through his hair.

As soon as he released her arm, Bella took off for the kitchen. She put both hands on the sink and tried to get control over her breathing. She wanted nothing more than to tell him, to tell him she'd always loved him, that she'd never stopped. Not for a minute. If she was being honest with herself, she'd dreamed about telling him since the day the stupid dedication came out. But she'd spent seven years trying to protect her heart from the consequences of her actions, and didn't know how to do any different.

A quiet voice came from behind her. "You didn't answer me."

She shook her head back and forth. She was just barely holding back tears, and knew if she said anything, anything at all, that the tears would break free.

It was all the confirmation Edward needed to know he was on to something, but he had no idea what to do next. He tried the first thing that came into his head. "The book…I know you wrote it. I know Barbara Smith is your pen name, and that…" That was as far as he got before a furious Bella wheeled on him.

"How could you know that?" The tears that ran down her face were angry tears, not sad ones. "Did Alice put you up to this? Damn it, Edward. Did she? Is she the one who told you all this?" In her anger, she didn't realize that she inadvertently gave him the answer he was seeking.

What the hell? Edward wasn't sure what he expected, but this wasn't it. "Alice?" He thought for a minute, and a face from the past clicked in his brain. "Alice Brandon?"

"It's Alice Hale now. She's…"

A smile broke unexpectedly across his face. "Alice married Jasper Hale?"

"Yes" Bella said "but that's not the point." She was having trouble thinking straight, because half of her brain was busy figuring out exactly what she would do to her so-called best friend when she saw her.

"Alice and Jasper. That's great, really." Edward's smile was genuine. "They were always inseparable. They shared something special. Always did."

She nodded, but didn't say anything.

He whispered it. "So did we."

Bella winced at his comment, but it was the straw that broke the camel's back. "We did, yes."

"Bella. Please tell me." Edward wanted so badly to hear the answer. "Is this about me – and you?"

She simply bobbed her head to up and down to indicate yes.

He opened his arms, and she walked into them.

**-TOTGA—**

Alice was thrilled at the prospect of a reunion with her two best friends. She typed out a quick reply to Rose.

_Hey gorgeous,_

_YES! Yes, yes, yes! A girl's weekend would be wonderful. You book the tickets, and I'll get Bella here. She's overdue for a visit to New York anyway, and she can tell us all about her trip and her next mystery. Send me the details about your flight, and I'll take care of everything else. And don't you dare make a hotel reservation – you're staying here, with us. Jasper would love to see you. It will be like old times….well, old times except for the Cullen boys._

_Speaking of them (which, by the way, I try not to do around Bella – just a heads up) what was Emmett doing in London? Small world and all that, right?_

_See you soon! Love,_

_Alice_

A few minutes later, her email dinged again. Sure enough, it was from Rose.

_Ali,_

_That's great! I'll email you all my travel details in a day or so. I didn't get to exchange too much info with Emmett, but his Facebook page says he lives in Ireland. I think he's a vet there. Gotta go – we'll catch up when I see you!_

_Love, _

_Rose_

Alice read the email once, twice. By the third time through, only three words jumped out at her. Emmett. Ireland. Vet.

She quickly scrolled down to find the last email she got from her college girls. Oh yes, there it was. _Edward Cullen is a veterinarian_. Both brothers are vets – and Emmett lives in Ireland. The same place she'd sent Bella. Alice winced. If there was one thing Bella hated, it was being manipulated. And Alice knew exactly what this would look like to her friend.

Alice reassured herself. Just because both Cullens were in the same profession didn't mean that they were in the same place. And even if they were, there was almost no chance they'd be anywhere near Liam's little cottage. After all, Ireland was a big country. Still, Alice had to admit that she'd gotten where she'd gotten by relying on her instincts, and all of a sudden, she didn't like where her instincts were going.

She whipped out her cell phone and hit the first number on speed dial. A smooth, sexy voice answered.

"Hello, darlin'. What – exactly - can I do for you?"

She could hear the smirk in her husband's voice, but she was in no mood to return his flirtatious opening. "Oh Jasper, I just found out something really important and I need to talk to you about it, see what you think. I have a really bad feeling about this!"

**-TOTGA—**

Edward buried his nose in Bella's hair, the familiar scent wrapping around him. He'd been dreaming about holding her for so many years. He wanted to kiss her hair. Hell, he wanted to kiss her mouth, too, and her neck, her shoulders, to pull her closer to him and feel the curves he remembered and the new ones he could see. But whatever this was, it was too new and too fragile, and he was afraid of scaring her by moving too fast. Instead, he gave her a quick, gentle squeeze, and made himself step back. He slid his hands down her arms until his fingers found hers and their hands were joined.

"Let's sit" he said. "I think we have lots to talk about."

Bella smiled, and led him back to the comfortable chairs where they were sitting before. The tea, now too cool to drink, still sat on the little table. She watched as he pushed the table out of the way and sat on the edge of his seat so that he could keep her hands in his.

He started. "What are you doing in Ireland?"

"I write mystery novels. Alice is my agent, and of course, still my best friend. I was starting my next novel, and had writer's block." She wasn't about to explain that he was the reason for her inability to work. "Alice suggested I come stay here at the cottage. Some friend of Jasper's owns it." She thought turnabout was fair play. "Why are you in Ireland? And how did you end up in this particular little town?"

"The vet office you brought Matilda's puppy to? It's Emmett's. I'm a vet in Philadelphia. Emmett's gone for a tour of veterinary hospitals throughout England for a month, and asked me to come over and fill in for him."

Edward, impatient to shift the conversation back to the infamous dedication, plunged in. "Tell me what it means. Why? How am I the one that got away?" He took a deep breath. "Not trying to make this more awkward than it is, but really, Bella, I'm not the one who left."

She knew he was right, but his offhand remark sparked her temper. Did he still not understand what she did? And why she did it? Over the years she'd convinced herself that he must have puzzled it out and just decided not to try to find her. Her eyes widened as the two parts of their conversation came together in her head.

"Holy crap!" Her emotions were so raw she snapped at him. "You never answered my question before, Edward. Did Alice contact you? Did she tell you I was here? Did she set this up?"

He looked at her, confused. "No, Bella, I swear I knew nothing about you being here. I'm just filling in for Emmett."

"Well, I'm sorry Edward, but I write this kind of shit for a living and even I know this is too much of a coincidence to be true. Just tell me how we ended up at the same time in the same little tiny town half way around the world from where I live."

It was his turn to stutter. "I don't…"

"Let me answer that for you. Alice pain-in-the-ass Hale. And this time, she's gone too far." She pulled her hands away from his, ran into what he assumed was a bedroom, and slammed the door.

Edward grabbed his hair with both hands and kicked the chair. What just happened? How had everything gone to hell so fast?


	15. Chapter 15

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 15**

**A/N Everything in the Twilight universe, including Edward's hair and Bella's stubbornness, belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Back from vacation and posting from home again. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows. It's so great to hear from you! It's exciting to think we are close to 100 reviews. That may not be a lot compared to some stories, but it's really exciting to me and I appreciate each and every one of you!**

**Some of you were frustrated with angry Bella, but she's having a bit of trouble with her emotions. Give her some time.**

Edward paced back and forth across Bella's small living room, replaying their conversation in his mind. Everything had been going fine. Actually, that was an understatement. It was way more than "fine." The feel of her hands in his, the feel of her in his arms, well, he didn't even have words to describe what it did to him. And then she'd flipped out. What had he done? What had he said to make her react that way? Suddenly, he remembered the words he'd blurted out.

"_Not trying to make this more awkward than it is, but really, Bella, I'm not the one who left." _

Edward winced when he realized what that must have sounded like to Bella. He didn't mean to blame her, or put her on the defensive, but that's exactly what he'd done. At this moment, he didn't care why she left all those years ago. That wasn't exactly true, but he cared much more about taking advantage of this unexpected chance to see her again. Edward squared his shoulders and began to walk to the door separating him from his Bella. Yes, his Bella.

Inside her room, Bella punched her pillow. The only boy – the only man she'd ever loved was standing in her living room, asking to talk to her, and she'd locked herself in her room? What was she thinking? Truth be told, she wasn't as angry as she sounded, although she was definitely going to find out exactly what if anything Alice had to do with all this. No, it was just that everything about him was so overwhelming. His face, his scent, and especially his touch. Bella felt as though every nerve ending in her body was on full alert and she might just explode.

He was right, she thought. She was the one who left him, and maybe, just maybe, this was her chance to make things right. She grabbed a tissue from the bedside table, wiped her eyes, and began to walk to the door. As she reached out to grasp the doorknob, she heard his phone ring and paused.

Edward's hand was raised to knock on her bedroom door when the phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, but remembered his responsibility to Emmett and Emmett's patients. Instead of knocking, he lowered his hand and reached in his pocket to retrieve the phone. As he expected, it was the clinic number. He pushed the answer button. "Tanya?"

Bella listened to his half of the conversation.

"How deep is the laceration? Can they see whether there's anything embedded in the skin?"

He listened for a few seconds.

"Is she standing? Yes, just tell them to keep her as quiet as possible till I get there."

His voice became quieter, as though he was walking away from her door.

"If they have any saline, they can wash off some of the blood, but tell them not to touch it. I'll swing by the office and pick up….yes, add some betadine and an antibiotic…yes, in case we have to stitch it. Thanks Tanya, see you in about 10 minutes."

Bella heard his footsteps as he approached the bedroom door, then heard his voice, calm and quiet.

"Bella? There's an emergency at one of the farms and I have to leave. I have to take care of a horse, it's hurt, maybe badly, but I don't want to leave things between us this way." Edward took a deep breath and Bella could sense his frustration. "Look, I thought we were….I mean, we were talking and then…I know I sounded like a jerk and I don't want you to be upset." He pressed his hand to the door, as if he could feel her through the wood. "I need to talk to you. I need to see you. And I hope you want to see and talk to me."

Bella pressed her hand against the door, thinking how much she wanted to feel his hands on her again.

"I'm leaving now" he said "and I don't know how long I'll be. But if you want to talk, I guess you know where to find me. I hope…I hope you will."

She couldn't see him lean his forehead against the door, but she could sense how close he was to her. Then suddenly, he was gone and the door to the cottage open and then closed.

"Edward?" She called out, but she was too late. She heard a car start, and then listened as the sound of the engine faded as he drove away.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" She slid down the door and sat on the floor, her legs stretched out in front of her. "All I had to do was open the stupid door." Bella shook her head, completely frustrated with her actions – or lack of actions. She did the only thing she could think of. She got out her phone, and dialed a familiar number.

Alice tried to sound as normal as possible when she answered the phone, not at all sure why Bella was calling or what she was going to say. "Hey, Bella, how are you?"

Bella didn't waste any time on small talk. "I need you to answer one question, Alice, and I want an honest answer. Did you send me to Ireland knowing that Edward would be here?"

"EDWARD?" Alice squealed. "You met Edward? He's there, in Ireland?"

"Answer me, Alice. This is important."

"No, Bella. I can honestly say that I had no idea you would meet anyone you knew, especially not Edward." She bit her lip and continued. "I did just find out – and I mean just – that Emmett is a veterinarian and lives in Ireland. He got in touch with Rosalie while she was doing a shoot in London. But I swear, Bella, I had no idea about Edward."

"Ok" Bella said "Ok. I know what I have to do." And she closed her phone, not caring that she was leaving Alice hanging on the other end, trying to imagine what was going on.

**-TOTGA—**

Two hours later, Edward walked through the door of the clinic and set his bag on one of the examining room tables so that Tanya could go through it and replace the things he'd used. The laceration on the horse's leg was bad, but it could have been a lot worse. The hardest part was getting the scared animal to let him get close enough to treat it without getting kicked. Speaking quietly in the horse's ear, he'd finally been able to clean the cut with saline, stitch it, and administer an antibiotic. He was tired, sweaty, and hungry. He looked up as he heard Tanya enter the clinic from her apartment upstairs.

"Everything alright?" She picked up his bag with her usual efficiency and got to work emptying it out.

"Yes, thank goodness" Edward replied. He looked up to find himself face to face with a man about his own age, with sandy brown hair and a quirky smile.

"Edward, this is my boyfriend, Liam Murphy" said Tanya.

Edward extended his hand and Liam shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Tanya, I'm going next door to get cleaned up. There haven't been any other calls or visitors?"

"Just Jenks, coming to check on the pup. I told him you thought he could go home tomorrow."

Edward tried not to sound disappointed. As much as he liked Jenks, that wasn't the visitor he was hoping for. "Ok. I'm going home to clean up. I'll be back later this afternoon." With a quick wave, he left.

Liam walked up behind Tanya and wrapped his arms around her waist. "If I was a betting man, I'd say he was hoping for a particular visitor, and your friend Jenks isn't the one."

"Yes" she said. "I'm not sure what's what, but he's been this way since the other day."

A few minutes later they heard the tinkle of the bell over the door of the clinic, signaling that someone had come in. Tanya pushed Liam away and wiped her hands on a towel before going out in the foyer. "Bella" she said, greeting the visitor. "Have you come to check on the pup today?"

Bella looked from Tanya to Liam, and relaxed considerably when she saw Liam slide his hand around Tanya's shoulder.

"Actually, I was looking for Edward. Dr. Cullen, I mean."

Tanya and Liam looked at each other. "I think we've solved your mystery" he whispered in Tanya's ear.

Tanya elbowed him before turning back to Bella. "Dr. Cullen isn't here right now." Bella's face fell.

Liam shot Tanya a strange look and answered Bella himself. "I believe he said he was going next door to get changed. You might look for him there."

"Are you sure that would be OK?" Bella twisted her fingers together nervously.

"Well" said Liam "You won't know till you try, will you?"

Bella smiled and straightening up, marched out the front door or the clinic and knocked on the adjacent door with "E. Cullen" on a small nameplate.

Edward had just started up the stairs when he heard a knock on the front door. He was tempted to ignore it and keep heading up to the shower he was craving. Instead, he turned around and reached out to open the door. He didn't know whether to be surprised, relieved, or just grateful.

"Bella?"

"I'm sorry I was so awful to you this morning. I would have been here sooner but it took me over an hour to walk here. And if I don't do this right now I might never do it and that would be stupid so…" Bella threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with everything she had.

It took about 2 seconds for Edward's shock to turn to delight. He wrapped his arms around her and moved his lips against hers. She tasted sweet, like the sugar in the tea she'd made him, and he couldn't stop himself from moving his hands up to run through her hair. She returned the favor, reaching up to bury her hands in his hair as well. His lips were soft and smooth, but demanding as he deepened the kiss. When they had to stop to breathe, she tried to explain what had happened this morning.

"Edward, I was just so surprised to see you this morning and I know I didn't handle things well and…"

"Bella?" Edward looked into her eyes. "Shut up." And he put his lips back on hers, where they belonged.

**-TOTGA—**

Bree and Claire walked in their dorm room, each carrying a cup with the distinctive Starbucks logo on it.

"I don't care what Kim says" Claire said laughing. "There is just nothing quite as good after making it through a Western Civ exam as a Pumpkin Spice latte with double whipped cream."

Bree nodded in agreement. "You are so right. She can keep her ice cream. This is the best." She walked to her laptop. "Time to check the email." She tapped a few keys and then stared at the screen. "Oh my…"

"What? What is it?" Claire poked her head over Bree's shoulder.

"We've got an email from one Edward Cullen."

Claire gasped. "Are you kidding? What does he say?"

They both looked at the email, eyes popping wide with surprise and pleasure.

_Dear Ms. Tanner and friends,_

_Yes. Yes I am._

_Sincerely,_

_Edward Cullen_


	16. Chapter 16

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 16**

**A/N Everything Twilight, including Alice and Jasper, belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and put us over 100! (Jumps up and down) And thanks of course to all the followers and favoriters, old and new.**

**A little mystery and a little fun. On with the show!**

It was almost 3 o'clock in the afternoon, New York time, when Alice finished her puzzling conversation with Bella. She stood, looking at the phone in her hand for a few minutes before tucking it in her pocket. It was so exciting to think that Edward and Bella saw each other. After all these years - and in Ireland, of all places. What were the odds! Alice had spent years watching Bella turn away any chance for love that came her way, and knew that her best friend was doing it to punish herself for lying to Edward and breaking his heart so many years ago. Bella had never gotten over Edward, and Alice sent up a silent prayer that Edward felt the same way.

Excitement was replaced by frustration as she realized that she had no idea what was happening. Had Bella only seen Edward? Had she talked to him? Were they, maybe, doing more than just talking? Alice stalked down the hallway to the spacious room on the first floor that served as Jasper's home office. She tried not to interrupt him when he was working, and most of the time she succeeded, but this was too important to leave till later.

"Jasper, honey, you'll never guess who just called me."

He looked up from his laptop and smiled at the woman he loved more than anything in the world. He couldn't ever be mad at Alice for interrupting him, even now when he was trying to resolve a tricky problem with his main distributor. Over the years, he'd learned how to listen to her with one ear while he continued to work. "Well, pretty woman, from the smile on your face I'm going to guess it was Bella. What did she have to.."

She couldn't wait for him to finish the sentence. "You will never guess what happened, Jasper. Bella met someone in Ireland. And you will never, never, never guess who it is."

Jasper tapped a few more keys on his laptop before glaring at the screen, not at all pleased with the response he was seeing. "How is Edward?"

"She apparently saw Edward…" Alice stopped when she realized what Jasper said. "Jasper, how did you know she saw Edward?"

Now she had his full attention, as he realized what he'd said. "I didn't say Edward, I said…" and he just stopped mid-sentence, knowing he wasn't going to be able to talk his way out of this easily.

"Jasper Whitlock Hale, you tell me right now what you know about this."

"Sweetheart…" he started.

"Don't you sweetheart me." She stamped her foot.

He sighed, pushed his chair back from the desk and patted his knee for her to sit. "Come on over here, darlin'." He figured that maybe if she was sitting on his lap, she wouldn't be able to hurt him too much when he told his story.

**-TOTGA—**

"Bella" Edward murmured, unable to pull himself away from her lips. His hands roamed up and down her sides, holding her close while he explored her mouth and savored her sweet taste, inhaled the scent that his heart recognized as uniquely Bella. Then he suddenly realized exactly what _he_ must smell like right now.

He gently pulled away from her. "Bella, I want to keep kissing you. More than anything right now. But I smell like a horse and I'm covered in hay and ointments and who knows what else."

She laughed, and the sound made his heart soar. She reached up and plucked a piece of hay out of his hair. "Well, I have to admit you don't smell quite as nice as you did this morning, but I don't mind."

"Can you wait, I mean, will you wait while I take a quick shower and change my clothes? Please?"

She nodded without hesitation. "I can wait." If only he knew, she thought. She'd waited seven years already. She'd wait forever for him.

He smiled, kissed her forehead, and said "I'll be right back."

Bella was sitting on a stool in the kitchen when Edward came back down the stairs. He was dressed in jeans and a button down shirt, and was rubbing a towel through his wet hair. Every time she'd seen him in the last 48 hours, he'd taken her by surprise. This time, she could look at him and appreciate the man that he'd become. There was no doubt in her mind that her heart recognized its other half when she looked into his beautiful green eyes.

"Hi" she said, and he smiled at her.

"Hi."

"Are you hungry?" She jumped up off the stool. "I could make you something to eat."

"Shouldn't I be offering to do that for you?"

"It's OK." She gestured to the refrigerator, and he nodded for her to open it. She pulled out the makings of some simple sandwiches while he got two plates out of the cabinet. As she worked, she realized that she was avoiding the inevitable conversation. She just didn't know where to begin. Frankly, she knew they'd have to talk about what happened 7 years ago, but she was afraid of what his reaction would be. How would he feel when he knew what she'd done? She just wanted to enjoy this little bubble of happiness that they'd found. For now. For as long as it would last.

"Edward, I know you must have questions about everything, but I just…"

He ran the back of his hand down her cheek. "Let's just catch up, OK? We don't have to deal with the heavy stuff now. Let's just, I don't know, figure out who we are now? I'll go first." He reached out and shook her hand. "Hi, I'm Edward Cullen. I'm a veterinarian and I run an animal clinic in Philadelphia. I also teach in the veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania. I have a townhouse in center city where I live by myself, unless you count the occasional dog or cat that sometimes comes home with me from the clinic. Otherwise, l like good books, walks on the beach, and world peace."

She laughed. "Hi, I'm Bella Swan. I'm a writer, mostly of mystery novels although I recently experimented with a little romance novel. I live in Seattle, Washington in an apartment with no dogs or cats, just the occasional visit from my best friend and agent, Alice Hale. I like good books, walks on the beach, world peace, and veterinarians."

He smirked at the last part of her statement. "And why are you in Ireland, Miss Swan?"

"Like I said, because I had writer's block, and Alice suggested this as a good place to relax and think. Why are you in Ireland, Dr. Cullen?"

"Like I said, because Emmett owns this veterinary practice, and he asked me to fill in for him while he's away in England. How did you end up at the cottage?"

"A friend of Jasper's owns it, and he lends it to them from time to time. Liam, I think his name is, but I don't know his last name."

"Liam? I just met Tanya's boyfriend today, and his name is Liam."

Bella doubted there was anything to that. "That's probably a really popular name here. And besides, if he's the Liam that owns the cottage, why wouldn't he be staying there?"

"Good point." Edward picked up their empty plates and put them in the sink. "Did you tell me you walked here today?"

"I did. It's not too bad a walk, when the weather's nice, but it's a lot easier by bike. I haven't picked my bike up from where I left it by Jenks' store the other day."

"Well, I'll drive you home" he said. "But first, I want to try something."

Bella's eyes were locked on his. "What did you want to try?"

"I want to see if you feel as good in my arms as you did before I took my shower." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. Without breaking the kiss, he ran his hands from her neck to the small of her back. "Mmmm. Just as good."

Thirty minutes later, Bella tapped on Edward's shoulder and murmured into his ear. "Is that your phone?" Edward pushed himself up to a sitting position on the couch.

"Yeah, it is." He ran a hand through his hair and spotted the phone on the end table. "Hello? Oh, hi Tanya. Sorry, yes, I was….busy. I'll come over and check the puppy and then lock up. Thanks for the reminder."

He put the phone back down. "I have to go check on Matilda's puppy. Want to go with me?"

"I'd like that" she said, sitting up and smoothing her hair before tucking it back behind her ears. "And then I guess I'd better head back to the cottage. It's a long walk."

"How about if I drive you home, and you can give me the tour of the cottage I didn't get this morning?"

"Deal" she said, and they headed out hand in hand.

**-TOTGA—**

"Holy cow!" Kim said to Bree, who sat in her desk chair with a very smug look on her face. "It's him. It's really, truly him!"

"Of course it is" said Bree. "Did you have any doubt?" She glared at each one of them in turn.

The three roommates looked at each other. There was no way any of them would admit to Bree that they had the least doubt. She was obviously a genius, and they were just lucky to share a room with her.

Claire, always practical, spoke first. "So now what? Is that it?"

"What do you mean?" Bree was a bit indignant.

"Now that we found him, what are we going to do about it?"

Bree smiled. "Oh Claire, do you think we've come this far without a plan?" Honestly, these girls. She loved them, but they had no creativity. No sense of adventure. "Watch." She began to tap out another email.

_Dear Ms. Hale,_

_Hi, it's us again! You remember, Bree, Claire, Kim, and Rachel? We have the greatest news for you. Remember when you said that you couldn't tell us whether Edward Cullen was "the one that got away?" Well, now we know. We wrote to Dr. Cullen and he answered us! And he says he's the one! _

_So now we have to figure out a way to get them together, and we need your help. We've got this idea. Can you Skype with us to talk about it? Plus, we would just love to talk to you because you sound like the most awesome person. OK? Please let us know when a good time would be to talk to you._

_Bree, Claire, Kim and Rachel_

She pushed send, and turned her chair around. "And that, ladies, is step one of Operation Reunite Bella and Edward!"


	17. Chapter 17

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 17**

**A/N – Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, including Bree and the girls. But they aren't the only devious ones, as you'll see.**

**Thanks as always for the sweet comments and ideas.**

**Here we go…finally, they're talking about what happened. **

* * *

This time, Bella was prepared when she heard the early morning knock on her door. She flung the door open and her breath caught when she saw Edward standing there. The sun glinted off his bronze hair, and his green eyes gleamed.

"Good morning, beautiful" he crooned as he took her in his arms. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "I missed you last night."

She blushed, remembering the heated kisses they shared before he dropped her off at the cottage and drove back to town.

He kissed her forehead. "Ready to go?"

"Let me grab our lunch." She let go of him reluctantly, and went to the kitchen to grab the old fashioned picnic basket she'd found in the pantry. She checked the contents one more time. Even though she'd thrown it together from what she had in the closet and refrigerator, it would make a good picnic. And it was a good way to use up the remaining food before she had to…her heart clutched when she realized she was leaving in just two days. Leaving, with no idea when – or if – she'd see Edward again. Well, if two days was all she was going to get of him, she was going to make the most of it. She tucked a bottle of wine next to the cheese, bread, and fruit she'd already packed and went back to the front room with a smile on her face.

Edward reached out and took the basket from her before tucking her hand in the crook of his arm and leading her to the car. "I invited someone to come with us today."

Bella couldn't help the look of disappointment. "But I thought….who?"

He opened the back door of the car, and sitting on a folded up plaid blanket was Matilda's puppy.

"Oh Edward…he looks even better than he did yesterday." She leaned in to nuzzle the puppy's nose and was rewarded with puppy kisses. "Isn't he going back to the store today?"

"He is, but Jenks said he could have a picnic with us first. We'll drop him off on the way back. You're not upset that I brought him, are you?"

"Of course not. This little guy brought us together, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. I just wish he didn't have to break his leg to do it."

They drove for about 40 minutes, with Edward occasionally glancing at some hand written directions. He pulled off the road into a shaded area and stopped. "This is it. We'll park the car here and walk in for just a bit, through those trees." He opened her door and then paused for a minute to consider the logistics. "I didn't think about this. One of us will have to carry the puppy. I don't want him walking yet."

Bella scooped up the little dog, being careful to avoid the leg with the little fiberglass cast. "Got him." Edward grabbed the blanket and picnic basket and gestured for her to lead the way.

They followed a well-worn path through the trees, and found themselves in a beautiful meadow. The ground seemed to be covered in a carpet of flowers that popped up through the deep green grass. In the distance she could see miles of hills in every possible shade of green and a wide river. She whirled around to face him. "Edward, it's so beautiful."

He spread out the blanket, setting the basket on one corner, and took the wriggling puppy from her arms. "Liam suggested it. I have a feeling he's been here a few times." He smirked. "With Tanya, I'm guessing."

"I'm glad they don't mind sharing it." Bella was delighted when she found the dog treats Edward had slipped into the picnic basket. "We can't keep calling him Matilda's puppy. Do you think Jenks would mind if we named him?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't. What are you thinking, love?"

She was overjoyed at his use of the endearment. "It should be something Irish. This might be kind of silly, but how about Bailey? Like Bailey's Irish Cream?"

"Perfect" said Edward, and Bailey barked as if to say that he liked it too. Edward gave him a biscuit, and he curled up in a corner of the blanket to eat it.

She set out the food while Edward opened the wine. He poured it into two glasses and handed one to Bella.

"A toast" he said, with mischief sparkling in his eyes. "To the one that got away, and the one who found him again."

Despite his happy tone, she couldn't help the tears that sprung to her eyes. "Before you toast to that, maybe we should talk about what happened. I…I haven't been honest with you, Edward."

His heart caught. What wasn't she telling him? The panic he'd felt when he thought she was with Jacob came back. What if there was someone at home? Someone she'd be going back to?

She saw his face, and spoke up quickly to stop him from jumping to conclusions. "No, I don't mean now, Edward. I wasn't honest with you – then. When I left you."

He frowned at the serious turn the day had taken, but he knew they had to talk about it. He couldn't help the emotion in his voice. "You broke my heart, you know that. Broke it completely."

Bella nodded but couldn't look at him. She knew if she looked into his eyes she would break down at the thought of what happened. "Mine too."

"Then why, Bella? I've thought about that night a thousand times. A hundred thousand times. What did I do? Did you think I was pressuring you?" It was his turn to blush. "I'll admit that I really thought we might…that we would…that you would let me make love to you that night. But I never would have done it if I thought you would leave me, that I would frighten you that way."

His words surprised her. It certainly wasn't what she expected to hear. "Oh, Edward" she sighed. "Is that what you thought?"

"Yes. I've regretted what happened that night ever since." Edward frowned. "I thought we knew each other so well, Bella, and to think that I could have mistaken what we felt for each other, that I could have misread you that way. All I can say is that I'm sorry."

"You did know me, better than anyone ever has. I wanted you to make love to me that night."

Edward looked at her, surprise clear on his face.

She gave him a shy smile. "Why do you think I bought that bikini?"

He grumbled. "I still have dreams about that bikini…." He was so confused. "Then why, Bella?"

"You really don't know? I had to make you leave, so you would go to Penn. You said you weren't going to go. Because of me."

Edward jumped up and began pacing. "Seriously, Bella?" His voice was angry. "That's why? That's why you left me?" She nodded as he continued. "We could have talked about it. We should have talked about it! Do you not understand my feelings for you? You were everything to me. Nothing mattered without you."

"But Edward, look at you. Look at what you've become. How successful you are. How much you've accomplished. How happy you are."

He shook his head furiously. "I could have stayed in Washington and been just as successful."

"Maybe" she said. "But I couldn't take that chance. I couldn't hold you back. It was your dream, Edward. I didn't want to get in the way of your dream."

He was quiet, but firm. "We should have talked about it, Bella. Even if I did decide to go there. If you somehow convinced me to move to the other side of the country from you. We would have made it. I know we would have."

She knew he wouldn't have gone without her, but she wasn't going to argue. Instead she asked the question that had been in the back of her mind every day. "Why didn't you ever try to find me, later?" She knew the question was unfair, even as she asked it.

"I wanted to, so many times. But remember, I thought you didn't want me. I thought I was respecting your wishes." He took her hands in his. "Bella, I tried to talk to you all that summer. I drove Charlie crazy, bugging him to tell me where you were."

She sniffled. "I was sure you figured out what I did and just didn't want to find me."

He pulled her onto his lap. "Nothing could be farther from the truth. I love you, Bella. I've always loved you."

"I love you too." She wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve. "Oh crap. I'm a mess."

"Yeah" he said. "But you're my mess." And she wrapped her arms around him and just held on.

They stayed that way for a long time. Finally, Bella sat up and looked Edward in the eyes. "Can we start again? As if it never happened?"

Edward kissed her gently. "We can't erase it. We'll never forget what happened. It's part of who we are, who we've become. But now that I know why, I understand that you did it out of love." He smirked. "Even if you were wrong."

She smacked his arm. "Hey."

They both laughed, and then went on with their picnic while Bailey quietly snored from his corner of the blanket.

**-TOTGA—**

Jasper Hale understood, very clearly, that if he knew what was good for him he would keep out of Alice's way until she calmed down.

She'd confronted him before he even realized he said Edward's name. "What do you mean you knew Edward would be there?" She stood with her hands on her hips.

"It's a long story, sweetheart."

"I have lots of time and not very much patience right now."

"Alice darlin', you never have any patience." He tried to close the distance between them, but she wasn't having it.

"Spill. Now. Unless you want to become close personal friends with the bed in the guest room."

Now he knew she meant it. "It turns out that Liam is dating a girl named Tanya, who is the assistant in Emmett Cullen's veterinary practice. She introduced them at the pub one night, and they got talking. Liam told Emmett about his trips to the US, and somehow they figured out that both of them knew us. Liam told me about it when he called last month. I knew you were worried about Bella, what with the dedication and all, so we all agreed that maybe we'd give things a little push. So Emmett called Edward and asked him to come over and manage the clinic for a few weeks."

Her eyes widened. "And you got me to suggest that Bella go stay at Liam's cottage."

"Yes. And you know the rest."

"No, I don't know the rest, and I won't till Bella tells me. If she ever speaks to me again after she figures this out."

When kissing her behind the ear, with a little nip to her earlobe didn't distract her, he knew he was in real trouble. That's why he was currently hiding out on the balcony, talking quietly on his cell phone.

"I just need to warn you, Liam, that Alice has figured the whole thing out and she is steaming." He heard his friend chuckle in response. "It's not so much that she's mad at me, but she is furious that she didn't think of it first."

Liam laughed. "Well you'll be pleased to know that the wrath of the lovely Miss Alice is worth it. Edward and Bella are spending the day together, having a picnic. And they might have asked me where I thought they should go."

"Where did you send them?"

"The meadow, of course."

Jasper was impressed. "The same meadow you sent us to when we were there?"

Liam smirked. "The very same."

"Well done, my friend. Well done." Jasper backed into the corner of the balcony as he heard Alice's still scary voice yelling for him. "Keep me posted."

**-TOTGA-**

When they got back to the cottage after dropping Bailey off with a delighted Jenks and Matilda, Bella took Edward's hand. "Take a walk with me?" They walked around the house, across the wide expanse of grass to the spot where someone had thoughtfully placed a carved wooden bench so that it looked out to the sea.

Bella sat, patting the seat next to her so he would join her. They sat quietly for a few moments before she spoke. "Edward, this has been an amazing day. You're amazing. And somehow, despite everything I've done, I feel as though you've taken my broken heart and given it back to me, whole, and happy."

He stared into the chocolate depths of her eyes, trying to read what was there. "Why do I feel like there's a 'but' attached to that sentence?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm leaving on Saturday. To go home."

"Two days? You're leaving in two days?" He stood, facing her. "It's not long enough. I have to stay here for at least two more weeks, almost three, till Emmett gets back."

"I'll be in New York for two weeks, visiting Alice and doing some promotional stuff for my books. But then I go back to Seattle."

Edward ran both hands through his hair. "Bella, I just found you again. I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either, Edward, but you'll be in Philadelphia and I'll be in Seattle."

"Bella, we'll figure something out. Just…just promise you won't disappear. Promise you won't walk away this time. Please."

All she had to do was look into his eyes. "I promise." He pulled her to her feet and kissed her deeply. When they parted to take a breath, she reached up to push aside the hair that fell across his forehead.

"Edward? Can you come back to the house with me now?" She took his hand and started to back up across the yard. "I want to show you the windowseat."


	18. Chapter 18

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 18**

**A/N – Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. But I don't remember any cows in Twilight.**

* * *

Edward lifted the second suitcase into the back of Emmett's truck. "Geez, Bella, what did you put in here? I've taken care of cows that don't weigh this much."

Bella knew what he was trying to do. She'd already cried once this morning, and he was trying to keep her from doing it again. Too late, she thought, as a lone tear made its way down her cheek. She wiped it away and turned to face him. "Nice, Edward" she said, putting a smirk on her face. "I had no problem carrying that suitcase all the way out to the car." Despite his teasing, she was glad he'd offered to drive her to the airport. At least it gave them a little bit more time together. A little bit more time before she flew half a world away.

They kept the conversation light most of the way to the airport. "Tell me about the new book" Edward said.

"OK. It's about the female private investigator that's featured in most of my books…"

"That's Brigit Burke, right?"

She looked at him in amazement. "You know about my main character? Edward, have you read my books?"

Edward kept his eyes on the road, but she could see a little blush creep up his cheeks.

"I, um, I read the first one a couple of days ago. It's good, Bella. I mean, it's really good."

"Thank you, Edward" she replied sincerely. Something occurred to her. "Is that the only book of mine that you read?"

Edward wasn't quite sure where he wanted to go with this. It was a conversation he didn't plan on having while they were driving. "No, it's not the only one I read. I read the new one. The one with the dedication." He ran his tongue across his bottom lip. "It's us, isn't it Bella? The story is us…if things had been different."

"Yes" she whispered. "If that night never happened. If I talked it out with you instead of pushing you away."

"And is that what you think would have happened? Us, together? Married? Happy?" He risked a sideways glance, even though he had to be twice as careful driving on the other side of the road. She was looking out the window.

"It's everything I hoped for" she said. Her honesty made something burn in the back of his throat.

They stayed quiet until he parked the truck. They each took a suitcase and made their way to the airport. After checking her luggage in, he motioned her to a bench.

"I want to figure this out, Bella. And I don't want to do it over the phone, or long distance. I don't want to think that you're going to get on that plane and we'll spend the next however long it takes being in different countries, or different states, and not able to work this out face to face."

"I know, Edward, but that's what's going to happen." She took both his hands in hers. "But planes fly east and west, you know?" She tried to smile. "We can get together, and talk."

Edward's phone rang, and he scowled when he looked at the number. "Wait a minute" he said to Bella before pushing the answer button. "Tanya? What is it?" He listened for a minute. "Tell them I'll be there in about an hour." His face gave away his annoyance at whatever she was saying. "The cow is just going to have to wait a little longer. I'll get there as soon as I can." He rolled his eyes and put the phone back in his pocket.

Bella couldn't help but laugh. "Cow problems?"

"Nothing that can't wait an hour. Despite what Tanya thinks." He got serious again. "Bella, can you stay in New York till I get back? Till I can come see you?"

"I don't know. I'll talk to Alice. God knows what she's got me booked into. I'll try, Edward. Really."

"I'll hold you to that." His green eyes shimmered.

She leaned over and kissed him. Unable to help himself, he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. For a moment, he imagined that he could hold her so tight that she wouldn't be able to move, wouldn't be able to leave him, now or ever. His lips ghosted over her skin – her neck, her shoulders, the spot behind her ear.

"We aren't going to say goodbye this time" he murmured.

"No" she whispered in return. "We won't."

They looked into each other's eyes as they heard her flight being called. Edward took a deep breath and ran his thumb along the line of her jaw.

"I love you, Bella. I love you, and I'll see you soon. And that's a promise."

"I love you too, Edward. And yes, soon."

With one final kiss, deep with longing and seven years' worth of love, they parted.

**-TOTGA—**

Alice busied herself tidying up the kitchen from the lunch she shared with Bella. She'd sent Bella off to the bathroom with a suggestion that she take a hot shower and then a nap to try to get herself back on track with the time change.

When Bella arrived in New York, her face told Alice everything she needed to know. This wasn't the same girl she'd talked to the other day. It was pretty clear that something had changed. Not just a little change, either, but a big, life-altering type of change. She just didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Is this about Edward?" Alice watched as Bella nodded. "How did you leave things with him?"

"He has to stay in Ireland for another two weeks, till Emmett gets back. He wants me to stay in New York till he gets here, so we can talk some more."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Oh Alice, I want to believe him, that this could all work out. But I don't know how it could. I need time to think about it." In truth, she was scared to death. It seemed so much easier when he was there. Bella realized he was right. They needed to talk this out together.

"Bella, you don't need to think about love, you just need to know you're in it. Everything else can be worked out." Alice hugged her friend tightly.

It was almost too much to hope for. "Just because it works in books doesn't mean it works in real life."

"I don't know, Bella. So far this sounds like a wonderful romantic story to me!" Alice laughed. "Speaking as your agent, I sense a new best-selling romance coming!"

That got a smile out of Bella.

"Now, don't worry about these dishes, sweetie, you just go make yourself comfortable." Alice turned her friend around by the shoulders and gave her a push in the direction of the bathroom. "We'll talk more after you wake up." She waited till she heard the shower, then grabbed her phone and snuck out to the balcony. She scrolled through the phone quickly until she found the email containing the phone number she needed and quickly programmed it into memory. She listened at the door one more time to make sure the shower was running, and then dialed. She tapped her foot as she waited for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi there, I'm looking for Bree Tanner."

"This is Bree."

"Bree, this is Alice Hale. We need to talk. About your idea…I think we can make this work."

"Can I put you on speaker? I want Claire and Rachel and Kim to hear this too."

"Sure, sweetie, go ahead." Alice could hear the phone switch over to speaker, and had to yank it away from her ear as the sound of four high-pitched squeals filled the air.

"Ok, Ms. Hale, what do you need us to do?"

"Well, I've thought about it and I think you might be on to something."

Bree was very serious. "Ms. Hale, I know this will work. We've got it all planned out. This is Step 2 in Operation Reunite Bella and Edward."

Alice hesitated for just one minute. Bella was going to either love her or hate her after this one. "You should send the email to Angela Cheney. She's the producer, and she owes me a favor. Go ahead and send it."

More squeals. "Really? Oh, Ms. Hale, this is so awesome."

Alice laughed. "Girls, if we are going to be scheming together, you'd better call me Alice."

She heard four voices call out "Ok Alice!" in a high-pitched chorus.

"Send me a copy of the email, and let me know if she answers you."

Bree said "You mean when she answers us, not if."

"Ok, girls. I'll take care of things on my end and we'll talk again in two days." Alice was getting a huge charge out of this. "Remember, don't call this number. Bella might answer it."

"You got it!" More squeals.

Alice ended the call and laughed out loud. She definitely loved these girls. She ducked her head around the corner of the balcony to make sure Bella wasn't standing there, and dialed again. "Jasper? I have the perfect way for you to get out of the doghouse."

On the other end, Jasper realized he would do whatever she asked. Hell, didn't he always do what she asked? Anything for his sweetheart. "Yes dear. What do you need?"

Alice smirked. "I need you to call Emmett Cullen. And here's what you're going to tell him."


	19. Chapter 19

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 19**

**A/N Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Thanks, as always, for the reviews and favorites. You are the best! **

**Now let's see…what do you get when you put a scheming Alice together with clever Bree and the girls? Emmett knows!**

* * *

"Are you kidding me?" Bella's chin dropped as she listened to her agent's big news. "You got me an interview on the Ellen show? You know that's my favorite." Watching the celebrity talk show every afternoon was one of Bella's guilty pleasures, one she'd indulged in each day that she'd been at Alice and Jasper's apartment.

Alice rocked back on her sparkly stiletto heels. "Yes, yes I did." Of course, she had her fingers crossed behind her back while she said it. After all, as much as she wished she'd thought of it, she couldn't take the credit for this particular interview. Her connections might have sealed the deal, but the credit for the whole thing belonged to someone else. "I'm glad you're so excited, Bella. I know how much you like her show and this will be amazing publicity for you. Speaking as your agent, it will take your book sales to a whole new level!" Especially, she thought, if everything went according to plan.

"Wow, that's…that's amazing." Bella grinned and gave Alice a quick hug. "When is it? Where is it? Are we going to LA?"

"No, no, they're filming in New York this week. It's a special thing. They'll be taping your show on Friday."

"Wow, isn't that kind of quick?"

Alice nodded. "It is, but apparently they had someone cancel so they can slide us right in. It's just a lucky break, and we are definitely taking advantage of it." Ok, Alice thought, here comes the hard part. "There's just one thing, Bells. The production assistant I talked to asked me some, well, some strange questions."

"What kind of strange questions? I mean, there's not much to say about me outside of my books. Not like I'm a celebrity or anything." Bella's eyes went wide. "Do you think there will be any celebrities on the show that day? Holy crap, can you imagine if someone amazing is on there the same day?"

If only you knew, thought Alice. "They didn't tell me, but I can call and find out." She twirled around and looked out the window. "Bella, here's the thing…I can't promise that they haven't figured out about the other book. The one with the dedication."

"WHAT?" Bella narrowed her eyes. "I swear, Alice, if you told them I'm Barbara Smith…"

"Bella, calm down. I didn't tell them." At least that part was true. "I'm just saying. If they plan on asking you about it, they won't necessarily tell me in advance. It'll be a surprise. All I'm saying is we should plan out an answer in case they do."

Bella sighed. "I guess you're right. If I knew all this was going to happen, I wouldn't have written the damn book."

Alice stepped over to her and placed both hands to her best friend's face. "Yes, you would have sweetie. You needed to write it. And now look at you! You have a chance to make all those dreams come true."

"What? I…what?" Her eyes widened as the impact of what Alice just said hit her.

"You've got another chance at your happy ending, Bella. All you have to do is grab it."

"Oh Alice, you're right! That's it, exactly. I never thought about it that way." Bella slapped herself on the forehead. "I've been thinking about this all wrong, haven't I?"

She didn't wait for Alice to answer. She stalked over to the balcony door and looked out at the New York skyline before turning back to look at her best friend. "What is wrong with me? I've been so stupid. I've been acting like I'm back in high school. Like Edward is going to walk away from me the way I walked away from him. But it's not like that, is it? We're in it together this time." She spun around and flopped back on the couch. "He told me he wants to talk about this…about everything. He wants me to stay here in New York and wait for him till he gets back. I can do that. I want to do that."

Alice couldn't help the smirk that came to her face. "Finally! You never see yourself clearly, Bella. From everything you said, he's as smitten as you are."

"Smitten. That's a great word." Bella grinned. "Alice, I think you just gave me the title of my next romance."

Alice squealed. "You're going to write another one?"

Bella thought for a minute. "I don't know where that came from. I didn't even think about it till just now. But it just seems right. It would be a great story." She'd told Alice all the details of how she and Edward met, all about Bailey and Matilda and Jenks and even Tanya and Liam. "Alice, Tanya's boyfriend's name is Liam. That's not your friend Liam, is it? The one that owns the cottage?"

"I don't see how it could be. If he was back in Ireland, wouldn't he want to stay in his own cottage? He didn't say anything to me about going back." _I'm going straight to hell_, thought Alice. _Unless of course this all works out. _"That's got to be a really common name there."

"Yeah, that's what I figured too." Bella stood up from the couch and shook her head to get her thoughts back on track. "Anyway, if I do write another romance wouldn't that be a great story?" Her thoughts flew back to the meadow. She thought about the kisses, the touches so tender and yet so meaningful that she shared with Edward and felt warmth and happiness wrap around her like a warm, cozy blanket. "Especially if the ending..."

Her heart was pounding just thinking about it, and suddenly, she knew exactly what she needed to do. She got a look of determination in her eyes. "He loves me, Alice. He told me he loves me, and I'm not going to waste this chance. No more waiting for my life to happen. If I want the happy ending, I'd better get working on it."

"Oh Bella" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"You're my agent, right? That's not changing."

_I sure hope not,_ thought Alice.

Bella was pacing back and forth across the room. "And really, I can write from anywhere, right?"

"Of course, Bella."

That sealed it. "Alice, I need to find two real estate agents. One in Seattle…"

Alice grinned. "And…"

Bella's smile was just as wide. "And one in Philadelphia."

**-TOTGA—**

Edward was in the middle of a dream – a very pleasant dream about Bella - when a loud noise downstairs woke him. Startled, he sat up quickly, his heart racing at the idea that someone was breaking into the house. Before he could decide what to do, he heard a familiar voice. He flopped back on the bed and groaned.

"Hey, little brother – it's me!" Emmett's huge grin flashed as he stuck his head in the bedroom door.

"I figured that out Em, as soon as I heard you." Edward threw an arm over his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here, remember?"

"I know that, but you aren't supposed to be back for another two weeks." Edward suddenly had a terrible thought. What if there was an emergency with one of Emmett's clients, and they didn't trust Edward to handle it? He would feel like shit if Emmett had to cancel his trip because Edward hadn't been able to cover his cases. "Is there something wrong? Did one of your farmers call you?"

"Relax Ed. Nothing like that. Besides, you're the best vet I know. Better than me, even though I won't ever admit it outside this room." Emmett laughed. "Nah, we saw what we needed to see, found the perfect model for the clinic, so we decided to head home early." Emmett thought he said it pretty convincingly. After all, he wasn't about to tell Edward about the call he got from Jasper Hale.

"OK" said Edward. "You going to tell me about it?"

"Put some clothes on your skinny ass and meet me downstairs. We'll get you a good Irish breakfast, and you can fill me in on what happened while I was gone." Emmett turned and Edward could hear his clunky footsteps going down the stairs.

Edward got up slowly and grabbed his jeans from where he'd left them on the chair next to the bed. He stepped into them, and pulled a long sleeve tee shirt over his head. He looked around for his shoes and realized he left them downstairs by the door.

Suddenly, it hit him. Emmett. Emmett was back. Emmett didn't need him to fill in any more. He ran down the steps, a plan already forming in his head. He was going home. Home, hopefully to Bella.

A little while later, he was sitting at the pub with Emmett, eating probably the best breakfast he'd ever had. "…And then I told him that I didn't even know a goat could do that, and it was no surprise he got hurt trying."

Emmett let out a hearty laugh. "Never a dull moment around here, right?" He leaned over. "What else happened?"

Edward filled him in on a few different cases, including the prize foal he'd help deliver. "Wait till you see her, Em. What a beautiful little horse." He took a deep breath. "And then there was Jenks and his puppy."

"What happened?" Emmett considered Jenks a good friend, and he took care of Matilda's puppies when they were born.

"One of the puppies got out and some idiot hit him with his car. Broke his leg, and I had to operate and reset it, but he's gonna be fine." Edward looked his brother in the eyes. "But Em, the most unbelievable part was who brought the puppy in after the accident."

Emmett gave him a puzzled look. "What's so amazing about Jenks?"

"No" Edward said. "Jenks came too, and of course Matilda. But the person who was there and saw the puppy get hit and brought him in? It was Bella."

Emmett tried to look confused. "Bella? I don't know anyone here named Bella. Are you sure that was her name?"

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, Emmett, not anyone from here. My Bella. Bella Swan."

"Are you kidding me?" Emmett grinned. "You must have been ready to…."

"Yeah." Edward smiled sheepishly. "I almost completely lost it."

"So what happened?"

Edward blushed a little. "I spent every minute I could with her, till she had to leave last Saturday. Em, we talked about what happened, why she left. It was crazy. The whole thing about her leaving, it was all for me, so I'd go to Penn." He swallowed hard. "I think we might be able to make something out of this. She…she still loves me. And God knows I still love her."

"You've never gotten over her, I knew it."

"Like you're one to talk. I saw the picture of Rosalie Hale in your office."

"That's the amazing thing, Ed. I picked up a paper in London, and there's Rosalie on the front page, in some fashion thing." Emmett spread his arms wide. "So I got the brilliant idea to look her up on Facebook, and sent her a message. And she answered me!"

"Looks like fate is smiling on both Cullen boys this week!" Edward gave his brother a fist bump, and they both laughed at the cheesy gesture.

"Are you back for good now?" Edward said, suddenly serious again. "Because I promised you two more weeks, but if you're back, I've got a really important reason to go home. She's in New York this week, and I need to see her, to talk to her, before she goes back to Seattle."

Emmett stood up and put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "Little brother, let's go book you some plane tickets."

**-TOTGA—**

It was Wednesday morning, and Alice was in her office, pacing, with the phone to her ear. "Bree, sweetie, I know! I'm excited too, and I can't wait to meet you."

"Alice, this is going to be so awesome." Bree was beyond excited. "We're all set here."

"You got the email with the confirmation for the tickets, right?"

"Yes" said Bree "and we can't thank you enough. I mean, we could drive, it's not that far, but taking the train to New York is cool."

Claire's voice was loud and clear in the background. "And we can't wait to go sightseeing!" Rachel and Kim shouted in support.

"Ladies, please" said Bree. "Focus! That's not the reason we're going." Once again, she had to get these girls in line. It was so tiring some times. "Sorry, Ms. Hale, I mean Alice." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Sometimes it's so difficult to work with people who don't get it. Am I right or what?"

"You are so right" said Alice, trying her best not to giggle at Bree's serious tone. "Keep your focus, have a safe trip, and I'll see you on Friday."

She disconnected the call, sat down in her chair, and spun around in delight. Jasper walked into her office and perched his decidedly cute ass on the edge of her desk.

"You look like the cat that swallowed the canary, darlin'."

Her smile widened. "Jasper, this is going to be amazing. Trust me!"

"I always do, sweetheart" he answered. "I always do."


	20. Chapter 20

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 20**

**A/N – Everything in the Twilight universe belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**This chapter is a little longer than usual, but you'll see why. You've been waiting so patiently…here we go!**

* * *

Edward was tired after the long flight from Ireland. Emmett worked some kind of magic with the airlines and got him on a flight that very afternoon. He wasn't even sure he'd managed to pack all his stuff in the little bit of time he had before they left for the airport. But that didn't matter. He was home, at Philadelphia airport and once he'd gone to his townhouse, taken a nap and a shower and changed his clothes, he'd be headed to New York. She said she'd be at Alice's house, and he was sure he could find it with a little help from Google maps. He'd call her when he got out of the airport, and let her know he was coming. He hoped to God she'd be happy to see him.

He was walking through the automatic doors at the ground transportation area to find a cab when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out, and saw a number he didn't recognize. "Edward Cullen" he said, his eyes fixed on the taxi line.

"Edward? It's Jasper. Jasper Hale."

Edward was surprised, to say the least. "Jasper? Hey, how are you?"

Jasper's Texas drawl sounded calm and relaxed. "I'm great, actually. Are you at the airport?"

"Philadelphia, yeah." All of a sudden, Edward realized what a strange question that was. "But how did you know that? And how did you get my phone number?"

Jasper laughed, a deep rich chuckle. "Emmett" he said. "But that's a story for another day. Right now, I need you to listen to me and do exactly as I say."

Edward nodded, confused, forgetting that Jasper couldn't see him. Hell, for all he knew Jasper was there watching him. This was all too strange.

"Edward? You there?"

"Yeah, sorry Jasper."

"Alright then. I need you to go to the limo exit. There's a car waiting for you." Jasper could be very persuasive when he wanted to be, and he knew if he didn't pull this off, his tiny dynamo of a wife would kick his butt all the way back to Texas. "Get in the car. The driver's going to take you home, where you will have enough time to grab a change of clothes you can wear tomorrow – something nice but casual. Sport jacket, no tie. You with me?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Then you're going to get back in the car and he's going to bring you to New York. I've got a hotel room for you, and I'll meet you there later tonight. I'll explain everything when I see you."

Edward pinched his nose. "Jasper, I don't understand what this is about. I just flew back from Ireland. I'm tired. I want to go home. Not that I don't want to see you, but this isn't the time. I've got something, somewhere I have to be."

"Would that something and somewhere be in New York? And would it involve a beautiful young lady with long brown hair who happens to be staying in my guest room?"

"Bella?" Edward nearly shouted. "Does this have something to do with Bella?"

Jasper smirked. "My friend, it has everything to do with Bella. I'll explain it all when I see you. Just get here." He closed the phone, knowing Edward would do exactly what he said.

Edward stared at the phone in his hand for a few moments. He turned around, and a wide smile broke out across his face when he saw the limo driver holding a sign saying _Dr. Edward Cullen_.

A few hours later, he was sitting in a hotel room in New York, enjoying a room service dinner with his old friend.

"Jasper, no offense man, I'm glad to see you, but I've gotta be honest with you. If I'm in New York, why am I not talking to Bella right now?"

Jasper leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his chest. "Does the name Bree Tanner mean anything to you? Alpha Delta Epsilon sorority? University of Maryland?" He saw that Edward wasn't picking up on it. "Amateur detective who might have written you an email recently?"

Edward shot up. "About the one that got away? She's the one who called me the one that got away."

"That's the one" said Jasper. "Let me tell you what she's been up to. And don't worry, you'll be seeing Bella tomorrow. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait."

**-TOTGA—**

Friday morning arrived, bright and clear, although Bella had been wide awake since long before dawn. She was excited about the interview, excited about meeting her favorite talk show host, and nervous all at the same time. And there was something else, a funny kind of buzz that made the hair on her arms stand on end. She turned when someone knocked on the door, and smiled when Alice stuck her head in.

"I have the perfect outfit for you to wear, Bells." She handed Bella a dress bag and set a pair of shoes on the floor next to the bed.

"Of course you do, Alice."

"Are you excited?"

Bella just looked at her. "Really Alice? Do you even have to ask?"

Alice smiled. "I guess I already know the answer." She watched as Bella slipped the blue dress over her head. She waved at Bella to get her to turn around, and zipped her up. "You look beautiful in this, B."

Bella hugged her dearest friend. "Ali, thanks for setting this up. Thanks for being there for me since I started to write. Thanks for being there for me…forever."

"Of course, sweetie." She hugged her back. "And I always will be." _And you'll have something much better to thank me for later on today._

Two hours later, they were sitting backstage in the green room at the Ellen show. The experience so far was a whirlwind of activity. Bella's hair and makeup had been carefully attended to, and a production assistant said she'd be right in to brief them about the interview.

"Everyone has been so great. This is such an adventure!" Bella was having trouble sitting still.

Alice was as excited as Bella. She'd nearly slipped when the production assistant mentioned "other guests" who'd be on today's show.

The production assistant opened the door and walked in the room, clutching a clipboard to her chest. She held out her hand to Bella, and then to Alice. "I'm Jessica Stanley, and I'm the lead production assistant. I just need to go over a few things with you."

Bella nodded, her eyes wide with excitement.

Jessica, looking a little excited herself, explained what would happen. "Ellen will go through her opening routine and talk to the audience for a bit. We'll bring you out to the left side of the stage, and I'll stay right with you. Alice, you can stay backstage or go out and sit in the audience – your choice."

"I think I'll stay backstage" said Alice, repeating what Jessica had already told her to say.

"Ok, that's great." Jessica smiled at her knowingly before turning her attention back to Bella. "Bella, like I said, I'll be right with you, and I'll tell you when it's time to walk out on stage. You'll hear Ellen introduce you, and you just walk right out and sit in the chair next to her."

"Ok, and I'll try not to fall, right?" Bella made a face at Alice.

Jessica laughed. "Everybody worries about that, trust me, even the most experienced actors." Her friendly manner put Bella at ease. "Ellen will ask you some questions about your books, how you pick your topics, stuff like that. Then we'll go to a commercial break, and you'll be done. I'll be there to escort you back here to where Alice will be waiting for you."

"Got it" Bella said. "Sit, answer questions, and you'll come get me." She let a worried look cross her face for just a second. "I hope I do OK."

"Ok?" Jessica winked at Alice. "It'll be epic!"

From that point on, time seemed to speed up. Almost before she realized it, Bella was standing by the stage entrance, watching as the talk show host nearly danced her way to center stage and sat in her chair.

"We have a very special show for you today" said Ellen. "One I guarantee you won't soon forget."

Bella shot a puzzled expression at Jessica. As excited as she was, Bella knew that there was nothing particularly memorable about her, even if she was a best-selling author. Jessica just shrugged her shoulders.

"Our first guest today is best-selling author Bella Swan" said Ellen, holding up a copy of Bella's latest mystery. She talked a little about the book, and then said "please join me in welcoming Bella Swan."

"Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip" Bella mumbled to herself as she walked out on the stage. She looked up when she heard a squeal coming from the front row, and smiled at four college-age girls who waved at her. _Must be fans_, she thought, and waved back. She shook hands with Ellen, and sat down in the guest chair.

Ellen was so funny, and made her so comfortable, that Bella settled down almost immediately and nearly forgot that there was an audience. This was like having a chat with a good girlfriend about a book you both loved. They went back and forth for a few minutes until Ellen announced that they were going to commercial.

Bella stood up. "Thank you so much. This has been just, just the best experience."

"We aren't done yet" the host responded. "I want to talk to you some more. OK?"

Bella glanced nervously off stage, where Jessica and Alice stood together flashing a double thumbs up. "Ok, sure. Great!" She sat back down and waited while another production assistant counted down the time till they went back on the air.

"Now Bella" said the host when they came back on the air. "We haven't been totally honest with you. We have something important to share with you. Can our mystery guest please come out?"

Bella looked, puzzled, at the front row where the four girls she noticed before clutched each other's hands. The audience started to clap, and Bella looked up to see a man she'd never seen before. She looked at Alice, who looked completely confused.

"Bella" said Ellen, drawing her attention "I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Ben Cheney, vice president of development for Twilight films."

Bella couldn't figure out what was going on, but she politely shook Mr. Cheney's hand. Ellen gestured to her newest guest, who sat down next to Bella and looked her right in the eye.

"Ms. Swan…Bella." He gave her a warm smile. "On behalf of Twilight films, I'd like to offer you a contract to develop one of your books into a full-length movie."

Bella gasped, and could hear Alice doing the same offstage. "A…a…a…movie?" The audience burst into applause.

"Yes" he answered. "We're very excited about adapting your novel."

Before she could stop herself, Bella blurted out "Which one?" She clapped her hands over her mouth, realizing how rude that must sound.

Ellen jumped back into the conversation. "Well, that's the big question, isn't it?"

Mr. Cheney just smiled. He reached over to the pile of Bella's books that Ellen had on the floor next to her chair and picked one up. He held it up like a game show host with a prize and said "this one."

Bella felt the air rush out of her lungs. Of all the books they could have chosen, it was the little romance. "Holy crap" she said, not even realizing she said it. "But…"

"All you have to do" said Ellen "is admit that you are, in fact, Barbara Smith, and that you wrote this book, and the contract is yours. Right Ben?"

"That's right, Ellen. We're really excited about this."

Bella looked around frantically, but Alice was nowhere to be seen. A movie contract? It was an incredible opportunity. She did love the story. Oh hell, she thought. Why not? "Yes" she said. "I'm Barbara Smith. And I would love to have my book made into a movie."

The audience cheered and clapped. Ben Cheney shook her hand, while Ellen looked on with amusement.

Cheney waited till the audience quieted down a bit. "I'll be in touch with your agent, Bella, and we'll work out all the details. Welcome to Twilight films." He shook her hand, and then Ellen's, and then walked off the stage.

Bella was really proud that she hadn't fainted. This was certainly faint-worthy. She wondered if she was going into shock. She heard her name called, and realized Ellen was trying to talk to her.

"I said, I suppose you're wondering how we figured out that you were the mysterious Barbara Smith?"

Bella smiled. "Actually, yes. What tipped you off?"

Ellen made a big show out of pulling a piece of paper from her pocket. "Let me read an email I received." She cleared her throat comically and began to read.

_Dear Ellen,_

_We have the most amazing story to tell you, and when we get done we just KNOW you will want to have this person on your show! So you know who we are, our names are Bree, Claire, Kim, and Rachel and we are sisters in Alpha Delta Epsilon sorority at the University of Maryland._

Ellen gestured to the audience, and the four girls who Bella noticed in the front row jumped up and waved at her, then turned around and waved at the audience before retaking their seats to applause.

_Anyway, we love books, especially the books written by Bella Swan. She writes the most amazing mysteries, but we know a secret. You know the new romance book that everyone is talking about because of its dedication? To the one that got away? You must have heard about it, everyone has, and we know that Ms. Swan is really the author. We promised her agent, the amazing Ms. Hale, that we wouldn't say anything at first but with everything that happened, we just have to tell someone! And that someone is you!_

_You see, we couldn't figure out why it was dedicated to the one that went away when it had a happy ending. If it had a happy ending, wouldn't that mean that the one didn't get away?_

Ellen looked at the audience. "Even I had to read that three times before it made any sense."

_So we did a little detective work. We got hold of Ms. Swan's high school yearbook, since in the book the characters meet in high school. And we found out that she had this absolutely hot boyfriend. So then we started looking for the boyfriend, because we though if she really missed him that maybe it would make her happy to find him again. And you won't even believe this, but we found him!_

Bella just stared at Ellen, her mouth hanging open in surprise with a touch of horror. Who the hell had they found?

_But we had to make sure, you know? So we sent him an email, and he answered us. He said that yes, he was the one that got away! We think it would be the most awesome thing if you could reunite them on your show. It would be, like, the best most romantic thing EVER!_

_Sincerely,_

_Bree, Claire, Kim and Rachel_

The audience clapped wildly, and Bella's stomach clenched. Who had they found? What were the odds they'd figured the whole thing out? _Oh crap,_ she thought. _What if they came up with someone like Mike Newtown? That dweeb would definitely say he was the right one if they asked him, even though there was no way in hell…_

Once again, she was interrupted by Ellen's voice calling her. "Bella? Still with us here?" Bella smiled and nodded. Now she was really panicking. There was no way they had this right. Edward was in Ireland. This was going to be so much more than embarrassing. She was going to kill someone when this was over.

"And so, Bella, we have another very special guest here today. Here he is – the one that got away – from Philadelphia, Dr. Edward Cullen!"

Bella's head shot up and turned to the side of the stage. She gasped when Edward…her Edward, walked out on stage. He was beautiful, and she felt her heart clutch. The audience screamed and he waved sheepishly. He walked right past Bella, who stood there with her mouth open. He shook Ellen's hand, and then said "Excuse me, please."

Edward turned around, smiled his most beautiful smile, and pulled Bella into his arms. Without any hesitation, he kissed her with all the love and passion he could summon. She sighed into his now familiar kiss, his soft lips. Without thinking, she ran her hands through his delightfully messy hair and he wrapped his arms tight around her waist.

Without removing his lips from her mouth, he whispered "I've missed you. So much. I couldn't think without you there."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. "I've missed you too. Nothing's been right without you here."

They were completely oblivious to the sighs that were coming from the audience. Edward deepened the kiss and Bella responded. Memories of their time in Ireland made the kiss even sweeter, and the years they'd been apart simply melted away.

"You're here" she said, when they broke apart to breathe.

"And I always will be" he said. "Always."

Offstage, Jasper held a sobbing Alice in his arms. "Thank you Jas. It's perfect." He kissed her hair. "You're welcome darlin'."

Ellen waved the four laughing girls up on the stage before turning to the audience. "I think we can safely say that you girls found the one that got away!"


	21. Chapter 21

**The One That Got Away**

**Chapter 21**

**A/N Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Sorry for being a bit late posting this week – I was away and didn't realize I wouldn't have an internet connection. **

**Thank you for all the comments on the last chapter! And a special thank you to those of you who commented on so many chapters. This is my first fanfic and you've really encouraged me. Hope you enjoy this! An epilogue to follow.**

* * *

The increasingly loud cheers and whistles from the audience made Edward and Bella realize their passionate display was taking place in front of millions of TV viewers, but they couldn't bring themselves to stop. Their kisses went from passionate to sweet, until they finally came up for air, their foreheads still touching and their hands still joined together.

"Nice of you both to join us again" Ellen said, and they both looked up and blushed. Ellen just laughed, and introduced Bree, Claire, Rachel and Kim to the audience to huge cheers. The girls were delighted, obviously enjoying their 15 minutes of fame. At Ellen's invitation, they each stepped forward and hugged Edward and Bella.

Bree gave Bella a big squeeze then wrapped her arms around Edward. She released him and stepped back, looking up to stare wide-eyed at his face. "Holy cow, you're even hotter in person than you are in the pictures!" She gasped as she realized what she just said on national television. The other girls just stared at her, amazed at seeing their fearless leader so frazzled. She whipped around and looked at Bella with pleading eyes. "Oh, Miss Swan, I am so sorry!"

Bella couldn't help but grin. She winked at the girl. "It's OK, Bree. I think he's pretty hot too." Edward buried his face in his hands as the audience laughed. Bella turned to Ellen. "Thank you, thank you for everything. It's overwhelming – Edward, the movie – and I was so excited just to be on your show." She turned to the girls. "Bree, girls, thank you too. Thank you for everything you did to find him. He most certainly is the one that got away."

Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "I can't top that!" She waved to the audience. "And cut!" The producer said, and the audience jumped to their feet, applauding madly. Jasper and Alice came out from backstage and everyone on stage exchanged hugs.

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of activity. Once the curtain came down, so to speak, on Bella's more than slightly overwhelming TV experience, everything in her life seemed to jump to faster than normal speed.

After Bella and Edward's passionate kiss on stage, it seemed as though every network in the country picked up on the story. Bree, Claire, Kim and Rachel became internet stars for their story. Alice fielded hundreds of phone calls asking for TV appearances and book signings across the country. Bella's publisher once again reprinted the book, this time with Bella's name as the author.

"Alice, look at this" Bella exclaimed, pulling a copy of the book out of the box that had just been delivered to Alice's office. She pointed to the words on the top corner of the cover. "Soon to be a major motion picture." She shook her head. "I just can't believe it."

"Believe it, Bella" said Alice. She walked over to her dearest friend and placed her hands on Bella's shoulders. "You've waited a long time for this Bella. Even when you didn't know you were waiting for him, you were. The connection was always there." Alice wiped a tear from her eye. "Now, enough of this, it's ruining my mascara."

Bella crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "Well, I wouldn't want to be responsible for that."

Alice stuck her tongue out at Bella.

"Real mature, Alice."

"Shut up." Alice stopped, sucked in a deep breath of air, and straightened up to her full 5 foot height. "Now I'm switching over to agent mode. Ms. Swan, do you have any questions about your next book signing?" Despite her professional tone, Alice nearly danced her way around the desk to sit in her oversized desk chair.

Of course, thought Bella, Alice always seemed to dance. "What time does my flight leave in the morning?"

"7:30 AM from JFK. A car will pick you up outside our building at 6. Here's your boarding pass – first class, of course."

"Oh crap, Alice, do you know how early I'll have to get up?" Bella slumped in the cushy chair in front of Alice's desk.

"It's the price of fame, dear, you know that."

Bella pouted. "All I know is when I was a lot less famous I got a lot more sleep."

Alice continued. "You arrive at 10:30 AM, Seattle time, and get a car to the hotel before going to the bookstore."

"Hotel? Alice, I'm going to be in Seattle. Why can't I stay at my condo?"

"Duh! Because it's up for sale, remember? They have to have it empty so they can show it." Alice continued. "Now, the book signing is from 11:30 to 1, and then you can relax for the rest of the day. Your flight back to New York is the next morning."

Bella took the papers from Alice's hand. "Alice, that makes no sense. Why do I have to wait to fly back until the next day? Why can't I fly back that night?" She looked at her friend and spoke quietly. "I don't want to be away from Edward any longer than I have to."

"That sounds like things must be going well. Are they?"

"You know they are. We're going to Philadelphia this weekend so he can help me look for an apartment." Bella smiled. "And show me the clinic."

"And show you his townhouse?"

"Umm, yeah. That too."

Alice squealed. "Oooh, so exciting!" Her tone shifted rapidly. "So one more day won't make any difference. Get your ass back to my apartment and pack for Seattle. Oh, and make sure you wear the blue dress for the signing. This is an upscale book store."

**-TOTGA-**

At 1:00, Seattle time the next afternoon, Bella looked up to see that the line for her book signing was still winding through the aisles of the bookstore nearly to the front door. She's already been signing for almost two hours. She was keeping a highly unscientific count of which of her books she was signing the most. Whether she liked it or not, the little romance was outselling her other books nearly 4 to 1. She shook her head as yet another copy was handed to her. She looked up at the young woman standing in front of her.

"And who should I make this out to?" Bella shook her wrist under the table. It was starting to ache a bit, but she wasn't complaining. This was her dream come true, and she intended to enjoy every bit of it. As she finished signing a book "To Jane, all the best, Bella Swan" she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Angela Weber, the coordinator for the book signing, leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Ms. Swan, if you can give us another 15 minutes, we'll cut off the rest of the line. You've been more than generous squeezing us in on your tour, and we really appreciate it. You must be getting tired."

Bella smiled at her. "I am a little tired, but I'd be happy to keep signing as long as you have people."

"Oh no" said Angela. "I have very strict orders from your agent that you are to be out of here by 1:30."

Bella frowned. "I…I have no idea why she would have said that."

Angela motioned the next person in line to step forward. "I have my orders, Ms. Swan. I'll be back in 15 minutes."

Bella looked at the line again. "Make it 30 minutes. If Alice says I need to leave at 1:30, I'll leave at 1:30."

Thirty minutes and many signatures later, Bella watched, gratefully, as Angela spoke politely to the remaining people in line, promising that if they left their name and address, an autographed copy of the book would be mailed to them. "Ms. Hale's instructions" she said, when Bella looked at her quizzically. "Right over here, please" she said, leading the rest of the line to another table where someone took their information. Bella stood and watched in amazement. She didn't understand why Alice would have done this.

"Really" she murmured, turning around to pick up her jacket. "I'm stuck here till tomorrow anyway."

"Excuse me, Ms. Swan? Could you autograph this book?"

"I'm sorry" she said, turning back toward the table "I'd love to, but the book store said…" She gasped as her eyes took in a familiar crooked grin.

"Oh, I think they'll make an exception for this one." His green eyes sparkled.

"Edward!" She ran around the table and into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you on a date, if you'll have me."

"Lead the way, Dr. Cullen." She took his arm, and they headed out the door. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see Ms. Swan. Patience." He led her to a car and opened the door.

Still floating on the pleasant cloud of surprise that Edward's appearance caused, Bella answered dozens of questions as he asked her about every aspect of her life in Seattle. She looked at the clock on the dashboard and realized they'd been on the road for a long time.

"Edward, where are we going?" She looked out the window and recognized some familiar landmarks. "We're going to Forks?"

"No, we're going to the beach. I…um…thought it might be kind of fun to go back to a place where we spent so many fun times." He glanced over to try and gauge her reaction.

She looked down at her hands, neatly folded in her lap. "Lots of fun times, and one not very fun time. Edward, it's the place where I broke up with you."

"I choose to remember other things about it." He reached over and took her hand.

Soon he turned off the road into a parking lot. As she opened the car door, Bella could hear the sound of the beach. She could hear children laughing as they ran up and down.

Bella looked down at her outfit. "I'm not really dressed for walking on the beach, Edward. And neither are you."

"C'mon, Bella. Have some fun. Lose the heels and you'll be just fine." He leaned against the car and pulled off his own shoes before rolling up his shirt sleeves and his pants legs.

Bella tossed her shoes back in the car and reached to take his outstretched hand. They walked along quietly, each lost in the memories of their teenage adventures. When they walked past the old fire pit where they'd spent so many nights laughing with their friends, they looked at each other and smiled. They walked a little more, along the water, until Edward tugged on Bella's hand and pulled her up the beach to a sand dune.

Her eyes opened in recognition and surprise. "Edward, this is the same place where…where I ruined everything. I don't understand. Why would you come back here? Why would you bring me here?"

He took both her hands in his, and looked deeply into her eyes. "Bella, millions of things happen to us every day. Our brains manage to record only a small percentage of them. Our hearts record a smaller portion still. And then, out of all that, we decide to remember the most significant." He closed the space between them. "Yes, this is the place where life changed for us. But it was also the place where you sacrificed everything for me to follow my dream. And, what I choose to remember, is that it's the place where I tried for the first time to make love to the girl I adored." He smirked. "Even if I didn't get too far."

"Oh, Edward." Bella sniffed. "I want to remember it that way."

"Well, that's one of the reasons we're here." He licked his lips to moisten them. "You might be the writer, but we're here because I want to rewrite the story of our lives, right here, on this spot."

She was intrigued, but confused by what he was saying. "I don't understand."

Edward took a deep breath, and still holding both of Bella's hands tightly in his, he knelt down on one knee in the sand. Bella gasped and her eyes widened.

"Bella, I know that it hasn't been very long since we found each other again, and that we are still learning our way back to love. But I also know that I've thought about you every day for the last seven years. Every day, Bella."

She nodded her head. "And I've thought about you every day too. I've never stopped thinking about you, Edward. And I've never stopped loving you."

He smiled her favorite smile. "And I've never stopped loving you either. Bella, I read your book. I read about the love your characters have for each other. I read about the way their lives came together, their wedding, their children, the way they spent the rest of their lives together. And I want that for us. I've always wanted that for us. And I still want it, more than anything." He swallowed. "Bella, if you still want that too, then let me rewrite our story. Starting today, starting now, let this be the place where we pledge we'll be together forever."

"I want that too, Edward. More than anything."

He pulled one of his hands from hers and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small velvet covered box and opened it to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring she'd ever seen. "Then let's make this the first day of our happy ending. Marry me, Bella."

For a writer, she found herself amazingly short on words. But she managed to get out the most important one. "Yes." She knelt in the sand and threw her hands around his neck. "Yes!"

And they sealed their new story with a kiss that said more than any words ever could.


	22. Chapter 22

**The One That Got Away**

**Epilogue**

**A/N – Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, of course. I'm going to miss these guys! Thanks to everyone who made this a favorite or added an alert, and everyone who reviewed it – especially all my most faithful reviewers, whose comments mean so much! You know who you are.**

* * *

Alice's newest intern stood in the doorway of the office. "Ms. Hale? I have Maggie from Twilight Studios on line 2. They want to confirm publicity details for the cast announcement."

"Thank you, Bree. And it's Alice, remember?"

Bree grinned at her new mentor. "Yes, Ms. Hale, I mean Alice. Is there anything else?" The girl was nearly bouncing, and Alice couldn't help but smile.

"That's it for today. Go home and get ready, and I'll see you in a few hours." Alice motioned to her. "Shoo! You don't want to be late for the rehearsal dinner, do you?"

Bree scooted out the door, and Alice paused for just a minute before picking up the phone call. What a week it had been. She hadn't planned on coming into work the day before Edward and Bella's wedding, but there were just some details that had to be taken care of. Bella's increasing fame and the media storm that came from the movie and real life having parallel happy endings meant lots more work for all of them, not that Alice was complaining. She hit the speaker button on the phone. "Maggie, dear, what can I do for you?"

On the other side of town, Edward and Jasper walked into the restaurant and saw Emmett already seated at a table. Edward braced himself for one of Emmett's bear hugs, and grimaced when his brother ruffled his hair. "Hey, watch it. I have somewhere to be in a few hours." He carefully set the little bag he carried on the table. He smiled thinking about the diamond and pearl earrings he bought Bella as a wedding gift, and how beautiful they'd look on her.

"Oh, come on little brother. You think she won't marry you if your hair's messed up?" Emmett laughed and gave Jasper a fist bump.

Edward returned the grin. "She doesn't have to marry me till tomorrow, but I'm not taking any chances. God, Em, I'm so glad you're here. Thanks."

"You didn't think I'd miss this after all the shit I had to do to…" Emmett stopped when Jasper gave him a warning look.

"After all what you had to do?" Edward sat down, and motioned the others to do the same.

"Nothing" said Emmett. He rubbed his hands together. "Say, what's good for lunch here?"

"Nice try" said Edward. "Now spill." Emmett looked like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Jasper had to look down at the table so he wouldn't laugh out loud.

"Well, it's not like I was the only one, Jasper" Emmett shouted, and it was Jasper's turn to look embarrassed.

"Now Edward" Jasper said, in his best Texas drawl "let's just order us a few beers and toast your last hours as a single man." He waved the waitress over and took his time ordering beer and burgers for the three of them.

"Nice try, Jas. Now what's my brother not telling me?" Edward sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. He fixed his stare on his brother, knowing he would crack before Jasper would.

Emmett decided to just get it over with. "Well, I might have talked to Jasper about getting you to Ireland for a few weeks. And he might have talked to me about getting Bella to Ireland for a few weeks."

"Are you kidding?" Edward's eyes were wide with amazement. "You set this up? Both of you?"

"Not by ourselves. Don't forget Liam, and Alice, especially Alice" Emmett started counting on his fingers.

"Emmett" Jasper sighed. "Just shut up." He grinned as he looked at Edward. "We just set the table, Edward. You and Bella decided to sit down and have dinner, so to speak."

Edward couldn't believe it. "Next you'll tell me you paid that idiot kid to hit the puppy."

Emmett and Jasper both laughed. Jasper spoke first. "Edward, you know we wouldn't go that far. But Alice wanted her best friend to be happy, and you know that what Alice wants, she usually gets. We just put you and Bella both in the same place and fate did the rest."

Edward held up his glass and toasted his brother and the best friend he'd regained through all this. "Gentlemen, thank you. Whatever you did, whatever you set up, whatever you did to kick fate in the ass, I am eternally grateful."

Emmett smirked. "Grateful enough to set me up with Rosalie?"

Edward exchanged a look with Jasper before answering. "You're on your own there, buddy."

**-TOTGA-**

Bella looked at the earrings one more time before carefully sliding them into her ears, careful not to disturb her hair or the flowers Alice had carefully placed in the elegant braids. "Alice, is this really happening? I'm so afraid I'm going to wake up back in my apartment, staring at Edward's picture and just starting to write the book."

Alice leaned over and placed a kiss on her best friend's cheek. "It's all real, sweetie. Some kind of wonderful cosmic thread kept you two connected across all this time. You just had to find your way back to each other. Now that you have, the two of you deserve all the happiness that comes with it." She fussed with the back of Bella's dress. "Now, let's go. My darling man is waiting to escort you down the aisle and he looks fine in a tuxedo. I need to get out there and see him."

A few minutes later, Bella was focused on not fainting while standing in the back of the church, her arm tucked into Jasper's.

"Bella?" He whispered to her. "Look up, darlin'."

She lifted her head and took in everything around her. She saw Alice walking ahead of her down the aisle and Rosalie already standing at the front of the tiny chapel. She saw the old and new friends that she and Edward now shared. She had to laugh when she saw Bree, Kim, Claire, and Rachel sitting in the second row and looking dreamily from her to Edward and back again.

And then, as Jasper gently tugged on her arm to walk her down the aisle, she saw Edward. He was the love of her life, and he was waiting for her. And from that point on, he was all she could see. Her eyes locked with his and they both smiled. She felt Jasper place her hand in Edward's before he moved to stand next to Emmett. She felt the way Edward gently squeezed her hands.

Unable to resist, he bent down and kissed her gently. "You are beautiful, Bella. And I am the luckiest man on the planet."

"No, we are" she corrected. "We are the two luckiest people on the planet." And with that, they turned to the front and exchanged heartfelt vows.

**-TOTGA-**

Bella perched on a big, smooth boulder that sat on the beach, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them as the wind blew her hair back from her face. She looked out at the greyish green water and remembered the dream she'd had back before any of this started. She remembered seeing reddish brown hair and green eyes, as the one man she'd always loved walked toward her on the beach, tossing a stick to a scampering brown dog. She remembered how hard she'd tried to shake off the feelings the dream had stirred up, because – at the time – it seemed so hopeless to think she'd ever see him again. Now she looked at her left hand where a platinum band rested next to a diamond ring, symbols of how her life, their lives, had changed.

It was Edward's idea to come back to Ireland for their honeymoon, and she had to admit it was perfect. Emmett had offered them the guest room in his house, but they politely declined, choosing instead to take Liam up on his offer of the little cottage. Now she was waiting for Edward to return from a walk down the beach. She would have gone with him – in fact, they'd spent very little time apart – but he insisted he just needed a few minutes and she should wait. She caught a glimpse of bronze hair jogging toward her, then watched as he pulled back his arm and threw a stick several yards up the beach. To her surprised, a brown flash took off after the stick. The dog scooped up the stick and ran toward her with it.

"Bailey?" She stood. "Bailey, is that you?" The dog, much larger than the puppy she remembered but clearly still growing into his huge feet, dropped the stick at her feet and happily licked her face as she hugged him.

"Finally" Edward said, as he reached her and drew her into a tight hug. "I missed you. But I brought you a friend."

"It's Bailey, isn't it?" She reached down to pet the dog again.

"It is" he answered. "I thought since he brought us back together, it was only right that we give him some love. I told Jenks we'd bring him back later on." He held up a bag from behind his back. "And Jenks sent us a picnic lunch. Sort of a tradition for us, don't you think?"

"I can think of a few traditions we've started in Ireland." She stepped down from the rock and tucked herself into his side.

"Do any of them involve a window seat?" His smirk was unmistakable.

"Oh, a lot of them involve the window seat." She laughed and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "And a few of them involve the meadow."

They held hands and walked up the beach. They both started to speak at the same time.

"Bella…"

"Edward…"

They laughed. She nodded for him to go ahead.

"Bella, I've never asked you. Why did you put the dedication in the book? Why then, after all this time?"

She raised their joined hands and placed a kiss on the back of his hand. "Because the story had been just waiting inside me for all that time. Every day when I'd sit at my computer to write, I'd look at our picture. I couldn't get over the idea that we were meant to be together. At the time, I thought there was no way for it to happen but it was in my head all the time. So the book was my way of giving us our happy ending. And the dedication? Well, it couldn't have been anything else. It was all for you, like throwing a wish out into the universe and hoping it would come true."

"And did it?"

"You know it did. All that I dreamed and more."

They kissed, a deep, passionate loving kiss. He took her face in his hands. "I guess I didn't get away after all. I was just waiting for you to find me."

She shook her head, correcting him. "No, Edward, we were waiting to find each other. And now we have."

No more words were needed, and they headed up the beach to write the story of the rest of forever.


End file.
